[1.62] Maztec Expedition Report

Discussion in 'Testing' started by Kalin, Mar 27, 2014.

  1. Sir Veza

    Sir Veza Farming Deity

    Ancient Aztec Segways.
     
    Jarmo likes this.
  2. Oberon

    Oberon Hydra

    My one thought on the mummies is their name. The rest of the monster names evoke the theme of the expansion, mummy seems too generic. Mummies could just as easily fit into an Egyptian themed expansion or one based on classic horror themes. I'd think you'd want to name these something more specific, in case you want to revisit mummy-type monsters down the road.
     
    Flaxative likes this.
  3. Kalin

    Kalin Begat G'zok

    Yeah, mummies are a bit out of place here.

    Summary:
    I went into this with a level 5 elf warrior, level 4 dwarf wizard, and level 5 human priest, and came out with everyone level 8 (I played Valley a second time while waiting for my pizza). I had a pathetic collection of items when I started, but I'm an experienced player so that probably balances. Out of 9 total battles, I was defeated only 2 or 3 times, so the difficulty seems about right.

    The main problem I'm seeing is the Brain Teaser level; it is really, really hard to beat this without Wings Of Faith or a Teleport card, and I just checked the shops and neither the Armory nor Kyburz Market are selling any items with those cards today. This is a place where a guaranteed drop would be very useful (like Eixtl's Winged Armor), but I'm not sure where to put it. Valley is really your only chance for an AotA drop before Beneath, but I don't want to lose or delay the Trog Melter. Maybe if you moved Brain Teaser to Chronak, and have Beneath give something with WoF? But then we'd need to make a new map for Beneath (none of Chronak's would work).

    PS. Why is the module called Beneath Tcotzac when you spend all your time on the ground floor?

    PPS. Could we remove the Teleport keyword from Dimensional Traveller? All it does is make it harder to search for items that can actually Teleport you.
     
  4. Pengw1n

    Pengw1n Moderately Informed Staff Member

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_mummy

    Just saying. It's a thing - although I agree that mummy seems a bit, vague - considering most people think of egyptian mummies. Maybe Buried/Risen Warrior, or something would fit better.

    The brain teaser level I beat on my first attempt. You're fine with good ranged damage, or getting moved by the enemy. Not sure how reliable win rate would be, but beat it on the first attempt. If deemed too problematic - maybe add a difficult terrain stepping stone between the 4 areas could work?
     
  5. Flaxative

    Flaxative Party Leader

    I had no difficulty with Brain Teaser either...
     
  6. Kalin

    Kalin Begat G'zok

    Huh, I didn't know Aztecs had mummies. But these still look Egyptian.

    What did your party look like? I can see 3 wizards with Sorcerery Staff and Hotglass Staff doing enough damage, but warriors and priests have to wait for WW to put them in a room with an enemy, then get close and hit them before the next WW.

    BTW, I wasn't kidding when I said I searched for secret passages. I right-clicked every water tile and the wall tiles touching water just in case some were Difficult.
     
  7. CT5

    CT5 Guild Leader

    I didn't have much of a problem, either - let the Brain dude Whirlwind everyone around, then whack cats/take VP as necessary. I used 1/1/1.
     
  8. Pengw1n

    Pengw1n Moderately Informed Staff Member

    Yup, I had a 1/1/1 party as well. Underlevelled by 2 levels, and undergeared. If you kill the ww'ing enemy early, that might cause some problems however.
     
  9. Jarmo

    Jarmo Snow Griffin

    1/1/1 also, no problems. Just whack whoever ends up on the same island and take VPs when possible. I had a level 7 party when I started playing the AotA expansion. I had über gear, though, but then so should all experienced players on the live server by now.
     
  10. Oberon

    Oberon Hydra


    Yes they have mummies, I just think they should call out these are a specific type of mummy. Much like the priest is a "Blood Priest", it can stay a mummy I'd just specify it down to this culture.
     
  11. Kalin

    Kalin Begat G'zok

    So, what should I do next? Do people want me to stay in the valley and replay these adventures to get the rest of the monster decks?

    Or should I level up my chars and investigate the runaway weapons? Leveling my chars will likely take most of the week, and there's a chance this will go live before then.
     
  12. Kalin

    Kalin Begat G'zok

    No comments on this? It looks like the prompts were written as though Troll Tyrant wasn't supposed to be revealed until level 18 (after Card Stock or something), but instead it's showing up immediately after completing Chronak. And from what I've been hearing, top players with huge collections really struggled with the Trolls, so showing it to players who are only halfway through the campaign isn't helpful.
     
    Flaxative likes this.
  13. Jarmo

    Jarmo Snow Griffin

    I agree the Melvin "Do you remember" prompt and Gary's response would be more appropriate when you enter "The Troll Tyrant" and not on the campaign map immediately after "Crystals of Chronak" (if that's when it appeared).

    There are at least two arguments in support of showing the level 18 adventure "The Troll Tyrant" on the map already at this stage. Firstly, it reassures the player that the expansion stuff she bought is actually there and hasn't disappeared due to a bug or something. It's a long time to wait until your party reaches level 18 to see the last three expansion adventures if you're a new player, if this was how it worked.

    Secondly, it's a feature of good CRPGs that they allow you to go to places where your head will be promptly bitten off. It creates a sense of freedom and self-determination and motivates you to keep adventuring to get stronger and eventually be able to face the big scary monsters.

    On the other hand, this is not how the base campaign works. It's inconsistent that the level 18 "The Troll Tyrant" is revealed after the level 9 "Crystals of Chronak" but for new players the adventures inbetween are hidden. If you complete the first three adventures of the expansion as soon as you can you're left with a gap of almost ten levels between the adventures now showing on the map. This feels somewhat strange.
     
    Flaxative likes this.
  14. Sir Veza

    Sir Veza Farming Deity

    I really appreciate the monster deck info, but do whatever you think best.
     
  15. Kalin

    Kalin Begat G'zok

    Actually, now that I know they'll all be available in the CSE, I'm going to wait until they announce the official live date, then grab them all at once. So now I'm working my way up through the campaign to see what the other three adventures look like.
     
    Sir Veza likes this.
  16. Sir Veza

    Sir Veza Farming Deity

    Me too, whenever the test server comes back up.
     

Share This Page