Time to stop... Time Stop!

[Valikar]

Yes and no. If you alter the blueprint of the encounter with a new encounter blueprint it doesn't retroactively change all existing encounters of that blueprint. You have to update the existing encounter by telling it to search for all existing resrefs of the encounter and update them but i see you know that. This is problematic because one; nordock is so big that module searches like that take a ponderously long time and occasionally crash the tool set. Two; I don't know if i want to change every single instance of the encounter to a new encounter and/or pick and choose which ones to replace. Three; i was taking a more balanced approach by attempting to alter it in some high traffic areas to see how it worked out, like if my replacement was too hard or too easy.

[Xillie]

Hmm, good arguments:)

I will see if I can update this list of "generic undead" spawns that have a TS lich (spawned from around CR 20+) in them.


-Ornall Cemetary (even has fallen druid as "generic"!)
-Swamp of T'rel level 1 and 2
-Trommel, Tomb of forgotten heroes
-Trommel mines lvl3 (a nordocklich variant that even casts 2 TS)
-....

[Emanon]

In first and second ed D&D, liches are indeed very special, unique and powerful foes. Unfortunately in 3rd ed, they literally became a generic template for a "type" of undead. Liches in 3rd ed show up a lot, even low level liches such as level 7s aren't that uncommon (eugh).

I'm not against a player using time stop at all, although it *would* be nice if it only froze the area and not the server. As a player of high level guys though, just wandering around a lot of areas, encounters pop with multiple time stoppers and I *loathe* them then other players are on as it makes me feel awful annoying them just to kill "trivial" monsters to get somewhere.

Kelahar's Field is one area that's utterly obnoxious with high level spawns (liches/fallen druids) as it's so very close to low level (underdark) areas. It has gobs and gobs of possible high undead liches.

Valley of Blight also has a lot of TS liches.

[raradra]

The field, I believe, is scaled up for levels. At least it was at some point because I've been there with both mid and high level characters and survived. Not easily, but survival nonetheless. That was before when lvl 20 was the highest it got though, so can't swear to now.

[Emanon]

Oh, it goes all the way up to Fallen Druid even. I'm not against high level spawns by any means at all!

However... one must keep in mind that this is an area that's *not* a dungeon or any such thing. It's a rather lackluster "passing through" transitory area - and one that's quite literally on the doorstep of the lowbie-land that is the underdark's Loknar. It's sort of like placing the hardest encounters in Benzor River Valley. One rude "bypasser" whooshing through will load that area with 10ish liches and 5ish fallen druids - turning it into a deathtrap (for most).

It just seems an odd choice in terms of encounter scaling - but this thread isn't about that, it's more about those 10 liches casting 2 time stops each as a guy has to scoot through there while the other 5 guys on the server has to sit through them, I mean.

[Richard_Uther]

The issues mentioned here should be fixed with the big update. I've played on Classic since 2004, started DMing in Epic about a year ago, probably more. I'm aware of the problems, they are one of the points regarding the big update. All I ask is patience, I'm sure I'll leave you with other issues, but this one is getting fixed. (Although when only one Lich spawns but he has the new AI, you'll probably wish it was eight of them and stupid)

[raradra]

(Although when only one Lich spawns but he has the new AI, you'll probably wish it was eight of them and stupid)

:lol

[Wulf]

If it's the NPCs that are doing Time Stop that is the issue, it wouldn't be hard to fix that without a major mod update.

The best use of Timestop gives a caster time to cast a couple spells whilst their enemies are frozen. So, edit the timestop spell to check and see if the creature is an NPC, and if so, run a separate set of programming that applies 3 useful spells instantaneously along with the blue circle visual of the timestop spell.

To anyone fighting the NPC this would actually be a more realistic, as their would be no frozen time to watch what the NPC does and be ready with a plan. It would also help the NPCs not waste their timestop, as they normally do something mostly useless whilst freezing the world. Most importantly this change could be made by changing the 1 script for timestop itself rather than updating individual creature instances to not use the spell.

[Richard_Uther]

@Wulf Fixing it doesn't require a major mod update. However, a major mod update is on development right now, like I mentioned in another thread it's the biggest update the mod has ever seen, and just because of the nature of the update, the time stop issue fixes itself. That's why I asked for patience. We're two main designers with a lot of time in our hands, and two co-designers with not so much time in their hands. All working on a mod that is huge, complex, full of problems. It should remain huge (It's actually getting bigger) It should remain Complex (It'll be more complex with a lot of new content) but it should not be full of problems. Simply put: I'm not going to go dig into the current mod and figure out how to stop this issue for today, when in a few months that fix will be obsolete because the new code is in. So... You know? Patience?