Lamannia Update: EARLY Enhancements Preview

[Ganolyn]

You already have Magical Training if you are a Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Favored Soul, or Artificer.

Yes, but if I am understanding correctly, I now enjoy a 9% chance to crit (+ Lore item) with the live enhancements and with this new system I will have 5% chance to crit (+ Lore item) unless I have feats to spend?

[Scraap]

Overall thoughts:
It is clearer what you're getting, so that's a plus.

The points-spent-in-tree tiers seem more than a bit high for folks looking for versatility, be that in 2-3 pure-class trees+racial, or potentially multiclassing, and the 2 points per for both initial and upgrade costs adds up to a feeling of heavy restriction at first blush.

I'd cut the top-end racial requirements down to 10 points spent in tree, the non-core class requirements down to 25-30, keep the initial 2 point costs and make the upgrades for purchased abilities 1 point per (For a lot of this stuff, that'll mean going from 6 ap total to 4, so it's mostly nickel and dimeing your way to a bit of breathing room). Particularly if you're going to be sticking with requiring ap expenditure on core skills (What were initially referenced as 'auto-grants'.)

[Vargouille]

New enhancements include spell critical chance improvements. One form these can take is in the Healing tree on Lamannia right now, and has already had quite a bit of discussion.

[Ganolyn]

New enhancements include spell critical chance improvements. One form these can take is in the Healing tree on Lamannia right now, and has already had quite a bit of discussion.

Well good then because others have been reporting that all crit enhancers were taken out.

[SealedInSong]

New enhancements include spell critical chance improvements. One form these can take is in the Healing tree on Lamannia right now, and has already had quite a bit of discussion.

Any chance we can get a preview clarification on what might happen to spell lore on items?

Based off the quotes I'm seeing people post, you seem to be saying that there's an attempted global increase in critical chances for spellcasters (though not necessarily bards, paladins, or rangers who are not autogranted magical training) at level 1, and items will be "adjusted" to reflect this.

Does this mean we can expect our lore items to be less effective to compensate for greater auto-granted spell lore from level 1?

[EllisDee37]

I do have one question as I'm being unable to get into Lammania. It concerns the trees.

Let's say you have a 14 ranger/6 fighter. Since we only can have 3 trees active and, from the little I can see, have to waste a bunch of AP's on unnecessary things, how does this bode for someone who gets the kensai?
Or for someone who takes 3 classes... how is this going to work when you can only have 3 trees active?

Extremely poorly. This first preview makes it crystal clear that the devs want everyone to be a pure class, and they want those pure classes to play in rigidly defined roles.

As an example, clerics are essentially healbots. Kiss your dc casting goodbye. (They removed friggin' spell pen enhancements from clerics. If that doesn't say "shut up and heal" loud and clear, I don't know what would.)

Did you want to play a self-sufficient melee who self-heals via bluebar? Kiss those builds goodbye too. No devotion lines for you, and the healing amp line is inexplicably doubled in cost beyond tier 1.

[seebs]

Problem with Lamannia (or normal DDO) and linux is Pando (aplication which is used to download installation files), wine will crash when it trays to use it, but when you have got all installation files... installation works flawlessly... just run setup, change files directory in pyLotro, patch and play.

To install lamannia on linux you need to get game files in some other way then regular download with Pando, like copying files from windows instalation. I made my lamania client to run with little help from VirtualBox (Win XP virtual machine) which i use for other stuff... i just downloaded all files with virtual machine, then i have instaled them with wine the same way as normal DDO.

I realy wish there where other ways then Pando to get installation files... right now to run DDO on linux the hardest part isn't making it run but geting instalation files

There was a switch away from Pando to something called "Happy Cloud" at one point. I can find no evidence of this now, and I can't find the installer, but I note that I've been unable to get Pando to load the game for a while now, but the old copy of the Happy Cloud installer I found on another machine worked fine.

[Aussir]

Extremely poorly. This first preview makes it crystal clear that the devs want everyone to be a pure class, and they want those pure classes to play in rigidly defined roles.

As an example, clerics are essentially healbots. Kiss your dc casting goodbye. (They removed friggin' spell pen enhancements from clerics. If that doesn't say "shut up and heal" loud and clear, I don't know what would.)

Did you want to play a self-sufficient melee who self-heals via bluebar? Kiss those builds goodbye too. No devotion lines for you, and the healing amp line is inexplicably doubled in cost beyond tier 1.

I was afraid of this... if this is the way things are going, I might as well go play NWO... and that's saying something.

I surely hope the devs give up this madness, listen to us and change things or they risk having a very dead game...

[blerkington]

I was afraid of this... if this is the way things are going, I might as well go play NWO... and that's saying something.

I surely hope the devs give up this madness, listen to us and change things or they risk having a very dead game...

Hi,

Yes, it looks like one of the things that make this game attractive to me, and better than its competitors, is about to be badly broken. We'll see, I suppose.

Thanks.

[Aashrym]

You already have Magical Training if you are a Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Favored Soul, or Artificer.

Yeah, but spell casting is a major component for many bards and they are left out again on a caster bonus. You really need to reconsider your approach to bards instead of repeatedly omitting them from caster benefits because you insist on tying benefits to that one feat.

[Theolin]

thoughts....

I like

What I have seen of more choices in some of the trees to pick how to apply the ehancement: example arti's choice of melee or range
Some of the innate casting like enhancements

I do NOT like not even a little bit

Spell power changes
Death of the multi class out of the box builds or even a char that can do 2 things within just one class .... you are now stuck mostly doing just one job .... gee thanks

[CaptainSpacePony]

I'm afraid I've failed several attempts at downloading the client, so my initial feedback is based on what I can see on the forums.

Big thanks to those that listed out the enhancements in the approp threads. As of this writing, about half of the new trees were listed out.

Overall I really like the way this is going. Great concept and execution!

Specifically, well LOTS of adjustments need to be made. The trees do not seem well balanced.

The new 5 hp at various class levels seems odd. The simpler character level idea seems more elegant.

[Xilth]

There was a switch away from Pando to something called "Happy Cloud" at one point. I can find no evidence of this now, and I can't find the installer, but I note that I've been unable to get Pando to load the game for a while now, but the old copy of the Happy Cloud installer I found on another machine worked fine.

It could be possible that it is switched... but even if it switched (for me) still installer crashes at downloading files (i have tried to run it few seconds ago). For "normal" DDO it isn't big deal because instalation files for DDO are also hosted on AtomicGamer site, which is notend in most linux guides... but i couldn't find anywhere files for Lamannia... i had to get them in some other way to install it...

[oradafu]

You already have Magical Training if you are a Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Favored Soul, or Artificer.

I have to agree with others with the exclusion of Bards getting Magical Training. If you don't want Bards to get Magical Training at level 1, give it to Bards at a higher level, like level 5. Especially if a 5% Spell Critical is attached to it now.

I'd even suggest that Paladins and Rangers getting the feat for free at higher levels, such as level 10 or so.

I'd still leave the Magical Training feat as purchasable or other classes though. This would allow non-blue bar Elves and Half-elves access to Arcane Archers. It would also leave open all non-Bluebars that want to play with certain EDs (mostly the caster ones) more resources to use those Destinies, if they wanted.

[Xilth]

Yeah, but spell casting is a major component for many bards and they are left out again on a caster bonus. You really need to reconsider your approach to bards instead of repeatedly omitting them from caster benefits because you insist on tying benefits to that one feat.

i think the same, removing from bards 5% crit is big hit for any bard and even biger for spell singers... cure spells and greater shout already where not so good but know they won't even have crits? also with this change it pointles to give to bards any new spells or anything which is around spellcasting, no one will use them, dps and cure spells with no chance to crit and lower spell power then other caster? this would be realy bad joke...

[lucreciacrescent]

@devs: so after three weeks of testing (all classes) the enhancement pass preview will be returned to normal, how long till you put back the newer enhancement pass permanently on lamannia?

[oradafu]

@devs: so after three weeks of testing (all classes) the enhancement pass preview will be returned to normal, how long till you put back the newer enhancement pass permanently on lamannia?

Hopefully the following happens:
1) After the next 3 weeks, the Devs take our input, analyzes it and includes some of it.
2) After an unspecified amount of time, Update 18 will be posted on Lamannia.
3) After the preview, Update 18 is then posted on Live.
4) Most likely one (but maybe two) patches for Update 18 are put on Lamannia.
5) After those patches are put on live, the Enhancement Pass Preview 2 will be put on Lamannia for a week or two so players can add input again.
6) After some more Lamannia downtime, Update 19 (probably the Expansion) will be posted on Lamannia including Enhancement Pass Preview 3.
7) After players input, the Enhancement will be cleaned up along with the rest of the Update will be posted to live, with patches to follow.

Unfortunately, I think we'll get:
1) Devs take our ideas and criticisms and include some in the Enhancements.
2) Update 18 will be posted on Lamannia with the Enhancement Pass Preview.
3) Devs will say that they have no time to include further feedback on the Enhancements.
4) Update 18 and the Enhancements go live, with players not feeling like their input was fully included. (Granted, it could ahppen in the first example also, but at least another whack at the ball after including our input would cutdown on many of the complaints.)

[red_cardinal]

@devs

Almost all things are just a repositioning of the enhancements that are on Live. There are to few new things.
I'd suggest you modify static values on trapsmithing and make sure this gameplay crafting and playing concept works all the way to EE at level 28 in terms of DCs and damage. Two trees should heavily impact those - mechanic and arcanotechnician. Same goes for values on Trap the soul spell - remove 3 versions of it and let it scale by caster level and benefit from feat and enhancement DCs. I'm only stating that here since it's used to gather some ingredients.

Also, it would be nice to see artificers to conjure wands and apply different bonuses to caster levels and damage and DCs in the trees from tier 1 to tier 5.

Arcane archer arrows should be conjured in stacks. A certain active ability should conjure a stack of 1000 arrows and cost 30 spell points or so. Imbues are just a cheap workaround and not really a change at all. DCs should also apply as well as favorite enemy bonuses. This might put Cannith crafting behind, but since arrows are bound to character and could only be conjured in an instance - what's stopping you from doing it that way? All is still in alpha, right? :P

Deepwood stalker is anything but a stalker. When an ability is used, it shouldn't break stealth - at least not for ranged shots. What's the point in investing into hide+move silently if the shots break stealth?

Ranger summon CR should at least be equal to ranger level-spell level. It such a bummer to see a level 20 ranger get a CR 4 kitty.

Some feats still need adjusting: slicing blow - let the bleed effect scale with level or add STR/DEX bonus to it. You didn't change feats at all. Some rogue feats could also use a revamp.

Introduce new feats: improved stunning blow, improved power attack, etc. so tempests or other melee builds can use them and benefit from enhancements.

Regular crossbows and great crossbow should be doing nearly as much as repeaters do in a 10 seconds against a static target. Nerf repeaters since nobody is using regular crossbows. This way you might have somebody actually craft an alchemical light crossbow :P.

Summoned monsters should get a CR increase from certain enhancements also. This would go to all classes and specific trees where summons are involved.

Remove character paths completely from the game menu.

[Tid12]

New enhancements include spell critical chance improvements. One form these can take is in the Healing tree on Lamannia right now, and has already had quite a bit of discussion.

Are they included in the arcane trees? How much improvement are we talking about? I hope we gain at least 4% with enhancement, to get again the 9% we have on live.

What about Spell critical damage? 100% on lama vs 125% on live. Same question as above.

[BOgre]

On first blush I was pretty excited by what I was seeing in the Ranger trees. But after spending the 80AP over and over and over trying to re-build a versatile Tempest I started to get worried. Now, after looking at the Cleric and Fighter lines, I'm downright depressed. I'm just not sure ANY of my multiclass characters have a hope of surviving in the new system. I'm pretty sure I don't like where the game is heading.