Questions about "new" missions
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 14:10
I just completed the rank missions that come after vanaduke (only learned about them now, haven't played much in the last two years), and in the last combat one, with the white levels and black monsters, I found that my ally continually got stuck on the monster spawners, and in the last fight of the last level, instead of warping to me when I started the fight, he warped up above the set of gates that lower one by one, leading to the exit (I tried to screencap this but apparently it didn't work as I was in fullscreen). Additionally, over the course of the three levels, I found exactly one stun vial and no vitapods, pills, or other pickups, which is a little unusual (I found a vitapod at the fourth level treasure chamber, after all the fighting was done). Was any of this normal?
Also, I'm wondering if there would have been any way to disable the black particle effects that pop up randomly and cover enemy attacks.
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 14:45
#2
Yeah I've done all the SLs before but it wasn't horrible like that until the last passage section.
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 15:24
#3
Swarm effects can be removed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjF34F-D0ZQ
This video shows Theirillusion removing various useless effect files and other stuff from the game's folders, such as (probably) the rain effects, the swarm effects and so on. You should remove any of the files with caution though.
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 15:42
#4
Thanks!
I think I'm also gonna remove some of the imf effects while I'm at it...
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 15:52
#5
By the way
According to the description of the video, all the files deleted in the video seem to return with every new (probably just ingame) update so it's probably a good idea either memorizing the files or typing their names up somewhere for quicker removal.
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 16:02
#6
I could also program a list of files to auto-delete. Should work out unless they move them around in updates.
Fri, 10/30/2015 - 23:51
#7
Isn't that kind of cheating? As in, the bad kind of editing game files..
Sat, 10/31/2015 - 04:41
#8
also
your ally, vaelyn, is a she
and the reason OOO made vaelyn teleport to the top is because she never dies permanently, meaning if she was still in the fight you could just die and let her do all the work
Sat, 10/31/2015 - 06:12
#9
@Fehzor
Isn't that kind of cheating? As in, the bad kind of editing game files.
Modifying chroma, stalker, and recon cloaked effects to make them more visible and modifying the Unknown Passage and Grasping Plataeu maps and minimaps in order to make them function correctly is cheating, as they give a direct advantage to the player via information they would not normally have access to.
Removing particle effects that unnecessarily obstruct vision, inhibit the performance of your game, or have a possibility to trigger epileptic fits is not cheating, it's advanced tweaking of the graphics to make the game more accessible.
Sat, 10/31/2015 - 08:49
#10
"or have a possibility to
"or have a possibility to trigger epileptic fits"
That's a pretty weak attempt at justifying the removal of the effects.
Sat, 10/31/2015 - 10:46
#11
@fehzor
I'd say it's a grey area, but I'm hardly competing against anyone, and the game's really unplayable with the kind performance/obstruction that I experienced so I'm not planning on feeling too bad about it.
Sun, 11/01/2015 - 04:04
#12
in this case, yes
The original poster doesn't like the black effects because they obstruct his view of the monsters. That is, they make the game harder. Removing them would make the game easier, contrary to the intent of the designers. That's cheating.
But I'm not upset about it. Cheating that doesn't harm anyone is not worth worrying about.
But the next time you find yourself saying that this game is too easy and no one could possibly be challenged by it, just remember that some players find these black squares too difficult.
Sun, 11/01/2015 - 12:03
#13
Lol why are you being so patronizing it's not like I couldn't beat it I just don't like the effects.
Sun, 11/01/2015 - 12:22
#14
oh
Oh, sorry. For me, the black squares do make the fight harder. And the end of your original post suggests that you agree:
...disable the black particle effects that pop up randomly and cover enemy attacks.
And elsewhere in your post you were wondering about the lack of vitapods and pills. So I inferred that you were not idly commenting on a minor aesthetic detail of the mission, but rather looking for a way to make the mission easier. But I was wrong. Cheers.
Sun, 11/01/2015 - 15:08
#15
You
are a pleasant surprise.
Tue, 11/03/2015 - 13:15
#16
.....
I agree about the particle effects. For the most part they stay at a somewhat troublesome size but in certain areas of the map (particularly the top of the last arena) they seem to be much closer to the camera and at that size cover up most of the screen blinding the player.
They are designed to be troublesome but when they blind the player then it starts to feel unfair and when problems like this aren't addressed then players feel like they aren't being taken seriously. And when that happens players get fed up and leave.
Tue, 11/03/2015 - 15:23
#17
Lol, I want to do it too, I just don't want to do it illegally because it's not that big of a deal and I'd rather just feel like I'm playing legit and not risk a ban. If it is legal, we should start some kind of a modding thread for it and other particle effects because the more advantages when farming for rads the better.
Also I disagree about "unplayable". I do fine and rarely get hit, even without being able to see half the stuff happening. Of course, when I do take damage I always feel like it's my fault for not dealing with the random black squares better... it's a bit like driving- you just have to assume there's an explosive bubble wherever you can't see/predict for one.
If the GMs do read this, I'd like to request an official answer to this grey area, such that it be made black or white. I could also do a support ticket? Though I feel kind of bad for doing support tickets constantly for the game getting stuck, these questions, bans, etc.
Yes, that's how it works. Vitapods are very rare (until the treasure level, when you don't need them anymore). Vaelyn is a pretty powerful and dedicated fighter, except that she doesn't help at all in the final fight.
The black particle effects are the Swarm. You can look it up on the wiki. Yes, they make the fight harder, presumably by design. (But it's nothing compared to what the Swarm does in a Shadow Lair.) Swarm effects are present even on the lowest graphics quality, so I doubt that there's any way to disable them.