I intended to report my experience in this topic.
I tried the game last summer in 1.04 iirc but i couldn't pass the gate fight (too hard for my team); i had 1.5 playthrough, which means that i made the game up to mid chapter 2 then restarted after i started understand more of the game mechanics (i did never play 3.5 D&D and know it only by CRPG, nor do i have the patience to read many help files...).
I remembered an demanding tactical rpg with a mockup story.
Now i finished the game twice.
Let me say beforehand some things:
- i'm still not the best player : first attempt was with 8 PC, level 3; second with 7 level 3 (as i wanted to take 3 NPC but only used 2 as the paladin wa too low level and took XP from my group, de-activating her meant more xp for the rest)
- i quickloaded a lot, especially if i had a death and no true rez, or petrification (by gorgons) without the anti petrif spell. Those could be considered cheat, i do not care: it's not fun to penalize a long term run by sheer misluck. in that sense, i have no idea how to go against this because i know that if i would not quickload, that meant the playthrough was dead in the next fight.
- i used "normal mode" but with feat every 2 level (i think) and same for stat increase.
- hp gain after combat
- initiative +4 per feat
- -25% initiative for enemy
My remarks
1) tell the player that the XP is distributed by active players. I do not find the information clear enough in game.
2) make clearer which (green) option will make less xp for the player. At the start of the game, some text say "call help means 40% less", but then in many fights you can ask help : do those help count or not for the reduce xp? I think the game should be clear; like only in the last chapters the game tells you that "not using" Lokkad the genie means bonus xp. Is that the same for the green dragon? for the prince in the queen fight?
3) make clear the xp you would gain for a green option (like banshiment scroll) vs blue option (fight to kill the demon). It may be "out of character" but in my case, i did have to 2 both to check and choose the best XP result.... useless repetition if the game would have said:
- option 1 = fight for X xp
option 2 = story action for Y xp
3) the lack of multiclass means that i want only some classes:
- a fighter, the ultimate damage dealer with 2 2H weapons imo
- a many attack dealer (in my second playtrough, it was a mantis with 21 attacks per round at average +45 AB, it was fun) or a samourai
- a psyonist
- a (red) wizard
- a cleric... i choose a champion because spells do not really matter at one point, but damage dealt would and the cleric is not a good direct magic dealer imo. Plus turn undead is bad, 2 domaines is weak; bishop is better but has no high level spell as champion, but is a worse warrior than champion
- a paladin, because i love the class. Very good defensive/healer in fact
- a ranger for precise snipping. Best AB at the end (+49 in my case)
That means 7 because i dislike the NPC very much. They have no tale, they have no fun, they have no beautiful portraits i like to watch move and say their little catch phrases. Pizzarra is super powerful, and Erzimon is a very good tool but weak at first (you need to upgrade his HP to avoid One shot in the ch2 and 3).
In my first playthrough i added a rogue (for 8) but except for the rogue special abilities in story, nothing is very catchy and sneak attack stops being used from some point (ch3 , almost every enemy is not sneak attackable... i do not know why but well)
With multiclasss, my ranger would have been rogue (if possible, i repeat that i don't know D&D 3.5 or what the engine is) and i would have loved to try some things (i do not know what, because i'm quite a "if i used it and i liked it, i will always use it" kind of player).
Token mode is very fun because ichoose my token appearance. Sprite is not very much; creating the sprite is quite boring; but using "one page" character creation has a flaw (related to characteristics) that muliple page has not.
4) at some point (level 19) i find the feats lack "specialization"; i would have loved a "ultimate attack bonus" etc. I was like using "general" feats to finish the level up. It was bad; i would have loved to unlock "epic" or "ultimate" spec. Maybe they exist, but if so, the list is not well done; i would really love a tree-arboresence thing to see what i can unlock (the only one i discovered was the "3 feats for +2 save = a feat for +1 for every save roll"...)
5) hp gain after fight is fun, but i think it was what made me succeed because => less rest need => enough rest in game (i didn't, i think, use the "extra rest" option). I would have loved the game to use the numerous "hebs" and breads item i almost never used (i think i used once a bread to do something in a round, and once a coriander herb with use, but i could have used a potion of heal). + I almost never used potions in combat (because AOO) => useless number in the inventory.
At the contrary, i used psy items or some astragalus to avoid spending a rest at some point.
My advice would be to link potion/item to that "auto rest".
6) i wanted to create my own items but:
- game made items are often better (because extra bonuses i cannot do) even if not perfect (except some...)
- it costs XP and i wasn't sure i could go to level 20 with that expenditure (in my second playthrough i could reach level 21 at the end of final battle)
- i can't create the items type i really needs, that is: bracer, boots, cloaks, belts. That's really bad because those are what the game really lack.
7) destroy item monsters are bad. If the item destroyed is unique or exceptionnal, it means quick reload. If it is a belt +2 strength, it means i will not really miss it. => i would prefer the game to include a "repear broken equipement at merchant" which would diminish the gold
8) random effect spell such as prismatic things, if you have no initiative are a quick reload mandatory. It occured less this year because initiative is better than last year for me.
9) the icons on token are really useless: i must really use "v" to check the effects. In some places i would have loved to quickly check the mass effects like protection against fire i would have already cast...
10) when game is full screen, if you alt tab or use a windows screenshot tool, the game minimizes. Boring, for every screen i made for bug reports, i had to "o, window mode, printscreen(s), o, full mode, continue playing"...
11) some lags (see bug)
12) when moving fast, at some point the lack of (i don't know technical term) vertical synchronization? showed and it was very ugly... only happen during travel time.
13) there is probably a "good route" in the chapter 3, and probably in the chapter 4 but it was not clear; apparently happily, the game gives you all fights even if you do not use the "best" route
14) enigmas are not bad (except for the maths etc which sometimes i would just guess) but i always used solution because 1 english is not my native language, 2 i didn't want to lose too much time; but especially, the "30+ questions" need an explanation because i do not know what the answers were, and i was doing the discussion multiple time to try to understand what was the right answers for the last questions (about unfinite, derivate etc.). I'm sorry but algebra, ok, simple probabilities, ok, but derivation etc... i do not remember and i would love to LEARN.
Chess enigmas were a big no no and i just read the solution each time.
The witch enigma, in that sense is just a boring click ordeal. I know it's my fault, but i want my 2x9 scrolls!
15) some things cost very much gold and i do not understand why. Like 50% ring are powerfull... but what's the point when you will take rather a +5 ring and a regeneration or +AB or +dmg ring? maybe it's only me but killing first or not being hit, is best than having 50% of something i would not have (SR)
16) enchanting limit at 10 contributes to make "game" items best. I think that limit has to go. If a player want to make a super weapon and pay for it, why not? make the cost multiplicative or higher after "10" number of enchantment. (in my case, i only boost some items in my second playthrough, and finally i let those go).
17) lack of some weapons: bows in general, but especialy crossbows: i had NONE.
18) because not using forge and enchanting, gems and ingots are most useless (i would say X diamonds are good for the reversal staff, but that's all).
18bis i forgot to count it) Transformation for wizard is cool but it was a button well hidden.
19) some fights are really hard but fun now: Pizarras, queen spider, big goblin fight, almost every fight of chapter 4 (except the random encounters in the castle which are very repetitive).
The fight when a 2d or 3d step happens are very cool because either you are in 1st try and are surprized, or you are not and you are already thinking about the moment the steps will happen so you need to keep resources for the next part.
The final fight is quite too easy because little space, only 4 steps in fight, and except the balor, no real danger... and even the balor is quite weak at that point i found.
20) still many CTDs. Not as many as previous year, but well i had to restart the game at least 20 times in the week i played my 2 playthroughs. Nothing bad for me since I quicksaved a lot due to experience and what i explained before, but imagine if not...
21) when the enemy is playing, the HUD disappear, and that's maybe the worst thing because when enemy play, you can do nothing else than watching the spells etc. I would in some case really like to read what had happened, why etc. The log below can be read after, but sometimes the enemis' turns can take as long as 5-10'... it may be hard to remember "i need to check this or that".
22) it's a short story but that's on me: i only bought the base game, and anyway the "dlcs" are not yet released i think.
23) i like the fact that the XP levels go up 20+ like in Baldur's gate, but the lack of specific feats and things make me wonder if any dlc will use it.
THat's it for now, see you another time for more reports from me.
24) real lack of ammunition after the goblin vendor is lost. I think i can forge some, but never tried because forging cost xp.