What's your take on wandering monsters?

[fallen_hero]

I like both idead that sapient2k7 and DrHoo posted. The idea with the randomness of the attacking monster group could add a variation to the fights. Plus the Monster Control Center sounds fun - sort of headhunter. As for the fights themselves: maybe they can be made more attractive when added some local advantages or disadvantages (walls, wind, fire, bridges etc. ) to the battleground, so every fight maybe with the same monster-type could still be challenge to the player.

[subbassman]

Can randomly appearing trash monsters ruin a game for you guys?

[fallen_hero]

Can randomly appearing trash monsters ruin a game for you guys?

Maybe they could be a interesting thing, in case you can have the stuff they carry around them after the fight. For instance if those stuff could be used to create new stuff like weapons, upgrade's for weapons or even funny things, that don't need to be usefull.

[subbassman]

Can randomly appearing trash monsters ruin a game for you guys?

Maybe they could be a interesting thing, in case you can have the stuff they carry around them after the fight. For instance if those stuff could be used to create new stuff like weapons, upgrade's for weapons or even funny things, that don't need to be usefull.

Funny things... such as?

[fallen_hero]

Funny things... such as?

Stuff that manipulates the weapons you use if you equipped them with the new fun thing. For instance ammo for a bow that doesn't give you arrows but bubbles instead. Those bubbles won't hurt the enemy but maybe could confuse him at least or grab his attention for a fighting round so can do anything else in the meantime, casting a spell or something like that.

Or your reward is a new music instrument that won't be usefull in a fight but let's you play one of the well known bard's song when around in the game world.

[subbassman]

Funny things... such as?

Stuff that manipulates the weapons you use if you equipped them with the new fun thing. For instance ammo for a bow that doesn't give you arrows but bubbles instead. Those bubbles won't hurt the enemy but maybe could confuse him at least or grab his attention for a fighting round so can do anything else in the meantime, casting a spell or something like that.

Or your reward is a new music instrument that won't be usefull in a fight but let's you play one of the well known bard's song when around in the game world.

This almost sounds like an MMO

[subbassman]

Have you ever had to reload a game because of a sudden and unexpected attack of random monsters?

[DuhFactor]

Have you ever had to reload a game because of a sudden and unexpected attack of random monsters?

I almost did, but then while searching the Internet for alternatives, I discovered how to use the command console to get me out of my bind.

THE SETTING: In TH1, I'm in friendly Glythe's cave, searching for his father's corpse under his home. I think I'm level 4 (halfling, Rogue 1, Fighter 3). I have a merc along, but I left him with Glythe. He's been fairly useless in battles. I can't level him up because I would run out of precious gold really fast if I did. I have him along mainly to carry loot, so I don't have to spend precious HOURS (even with a Bag of Holding on me) returning to Pikedale at a snail's pace so that I can empty my cash & be able to run again.

THE SITUATION: I'm keeping alive until I reach one group (I think they're called Hobglobins). My best tactic to this point had been to draw 1 or 2 with an arrow from a distance, so that I wasn't overwhelmed by too many at once. That doesn't work with this group; they all come at once & kill me quickly...during several reloads. I decide to wait until a higher level to return & finish them off. So I go back up to Glythe's home & my merc.

THE BIND: Only to find that there is a Grizzly Bear waiting for me. My merc is useless, even if I manage to rejoin him to my party; he dies in 1 hit. I run out of the cave so that I can maybe put some distance between us & kill it off with occasional hits. It doesn't work out that way. No matter how much distance is between us, when I go through a transition the bear is right there on top of me when I come out of it, & wacks off a good portion of my life before I run out of reach of it. Frequently, it wacks off more life when it looks like it shouldn't be able to reach me on the screen, but it does anyway. It wacks off more when I click on the shortest distance around an object but my character decides to take the long way around...and runs into the bear. Not too long before this, I managed to kill a Dire Wolf by getting it run up onto slanting rocks & thus put a little more distance between us, allowing me to get in more hits with arrows. That tactic doesn't work with this Grizzly. It seems to run off those rocks as if they aren't even there, and sticks closer to me than a merc does.

I gave up and was about to go back to my last save which was hours ago. Fortunately, I did some Internet searching first, and discovered the command console and, even though I'm no techie, I managed to figure out how to jump myself back to Pikedale. (Thank you, whoever you are, at http://www.blimix.com/NWN/tortured.html !)