GearHead2 v0.533
Happy Lunar New Year! I’ve just released GearHead2 v0.533. This version makes some radical changes to the combat and advancement systems, meaning that it’s probably going to be like that release of ADOM where dwarven farmers could complete the game in fifty moves. Here’s the list of changes:
- Added Mebsy mecha - Talking always takes time (pcaction.pp) - Skill use awards proportional to skill advancement cost (action.pp) - SF:1 and above beam guns get a bonus to penetration (effects.pp) - Missile launcher names will show number of missiles (ghweapon.pp) - Cannot have size 0 modules (ghmodule.pp) - Taunt targets may use verbal riposte (arenacfe.pp) - Encounters have a shared recharge counter (aibrain.pp) - Thrown weapons can't score more than 2 hits (effects.pp) - Martial arts toned down a bit (effects.pp) - Initiative and attack skill rank determine number of melee hits (effects.pp) - May uninstall software from backpack menu (backpack.pp) - Can cycle through models with ; key, even when not attacking (targetui.pp) - Use of Taunt skill is now automatic (arenaplay.pp) - Taunt has been separated from verbal attack (arenacfe.pp) - Added a default portrait for mecha (glinfo.pp) - Scene context may include NOFAC tag (playwright.pp) - Added Antagonistic attitude (playwright.pp) - Reduced Spot Weakness damage bonus (effects.pp) - Minimum target for Spot Weakness lowered to 5 (effects.pp)
Try it out, and let me know what you think.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:09 am
I like the changes.
Oh, and the forum is down. Again.
January 28th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Too bad about the forums. I’ll have to commender this thread to discuss Robotics on behalf of the EGRES (Educated Gearhead Robotics Enthusiast Society).
While the difficulty for creating sentient robots should probably go up a bit, I think requiring 11 is perhaps overkill, as I think of this as more of a mid-game thing as opposed to a late-game thing. Those robotic companions need a bit of training before they can get in a mek, among other things.
Also, GH2 currently doesn’t allow the learning of new skills by lancemates. I think lancemates must be able to learn new skills in order for robotics to work, especially since they sometimes start out with only one combat skill.
Regarding guaranteed sentience: It seems the lore of the game is that robotic sentience is more of a fluke than a regular thing, so it probably makes more sense to keep it random.
Plus, if you change robotic sentience to be guaranteed, you have players saying, “Ok, so I’ll just keep reloading until I get the sentient robot I want.”, instead of “THANK GOD, I finally got a sentient robot after five minutes of reloading!”.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Unless you’re using Mecha Parts, which are in limited supply, I see no reason for a player to reload a Robotics roll. Furthermore, if you have to reload for five minutes to roll a sentient robot (assuming you’re pretty skilled — I’m not counting “gee, I have 2 Robotics so I’m waiting for a lucky roll”), there’s a problem. They should be far more common than that if you have high skill and a lot of build points.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I got a plot deadend in Episode 5.
Plot deadend in Core Story: #A +Pla +C– +Tgt +F– +Hmi +Bor +Gkn C:MEDIC =P00 !lo E:++ E:REDMA E:MEDIA E:M.— E:A.nme E:ENEMY F:++ F:REDMA F:CRIME F:ENEM P:++ P:HOELL P:CORPO P:PCFAC P:ALLY R:++ R:ROCKE R:FRIEND R:MILIT R:LANCE R:M.— R:A.jr_ T:++ T:NOFAC T:FRIEND T:MEDIC T:M.— T:A.— S:perm S:++ S:NOFAC L:perm L:++ L:GALSP L:RISHI L:GROUND I:++ I:TL_Hi I:NOFAC A:– H:++ H:HOELL H:PCFAC H:CORPO H:M.— H:A.sr_ H:ALLY
I’ll mail you the savefile.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Actually, in order to make a good robot (as per GH1), you need: One piece of armor, one data device, one sensor, ecm, or targeting computer, and I’d advise a weapon as well. Plus six damage repair items. So, it’s kinda does require reloading. Robotics kinda demands the player get shopping, and even then will make the PC broke, in my experience.
Also, you CAN’T get a sentient robot at skill 2, no matter how many times you try. Minimum skill is 5, because sentience is mostly defined by having all stats over 10, and maximum for most stats is 1 + robotics*2. Generally you won’t see sentient robots until robotics skill 6, and they’re pretty rare at that point.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Well… on the subject of robots and skills, would it make sense to allow you to install skill software into them as an analog to cybering up a human (though in this case it’d be DIY)? I.e., if you’re trying to give it, say, Dodge the chance of the robot “getting” the skill (as well as not acquiring the mechanical equivalent of trauma) would depend on your Robotics and/or Coded Breaking, plus the quality of skillsoft you used (+1 is less likely to take, and more likely to break, than +3).
Or does that seem an unreasonable course of action?
January 29th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I was actually thinking you should be able to install Cyberware itself on robots with the Cyberware and Robotics skills (Cyberware for the cyberware, Robotics to customize it for the robot, but the Robotics is probably not nessesary). After all, it makes sense. Why should the robot fear losing their humanity, when they have none to begin with?
Also, it’s not inbalancing because Cyberware costs more than the materials for the Robot, and many people see lancemates as expendable. But, I’m not the Robot God, so we’ll have to wait for Joseph.
By the way E. Albright…I officially make you a member of the EGRES due to your love of robots.