Difference between revisions of "Sacred 2:Combat and Game Basics"

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==Auto Levelling Explained==
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==Auto Leveling==
  
Or perhaps more, Why Auto Levelling is Your Friend.  There has been a lot talk on the forums lately in respects to auto levelling, because after it was discovered how Oblivion handled it, gamers really, really didn't like it. This section details the auto levelling in Sacred 2 and also explains why it's a completely different mechanic to the way Oblivion handled it, and also why in fact, we need auto levelling or the game itself will become unplayable. So here we go:
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Auto leveling in Sacred 2 is a hotly disputed subject, especially after the purported discovery that Oblivion "apparently" does it the same way. This section details the auto leveling in Sacred 2 and also explains why it is a completely different mechanic to the way Oblivion handled it, and also why, in fact, auto leveling is needed for Sacred 2 to function properly.
  
===Oblivion vs Sacred 2 Auto Levelling===
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===Oblivion vs Sacred 2 Auto Leveling===
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There is, firstly, a misunderstanding about auto-leveling.  Many players interchangeably use the term with the understanding that leveling is handled the same way in both Oblivion and Sacred 2, while both in fact are different.
  
First up, there is a misunderstanding about auto-levelling - people are using the term as interchangeable between how Oblivion handled levels and how Sacred 2 does.  The two are not the same so lets clear this up.
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Oblivion adjusted the monsters based upon a player's level.
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This is important:
  
Oblivion adjusted the monsters based on your level.
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Oblivion adjusts the '''monsters''' based on '''your level.'''
  
Please look at what I wrote there, as it's important: It adjusted the '''monsters''' based on '''your level.'''
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The monsters would ''actually'' change.  This means that it would be difficult to do what the majority of gamers seem to enjoy doing, which is getting ahead of the power curve.  It is impossible to go and craft a ''perfect'' weapon, with the hope in returning to destroy the previous enemy with ease especially if was guarding a treasure chest that the player was curious about. This would have been impossible to do because the monster that was previously guarding the treasure chest had now changed into a more powerful monster to match the character's new level.
  
This means, the monsters ''changed''.
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This is significantly different from simply having an adjustment to an enemy's ''Italic text''level based upon a player's new ''level'':
  
The monsters actually changed.  This meant you could never do what gamers love doing, which is getting ahead of the power curve.  You could never go and craft that perfect weapon, and then come back to fight that awesomely hard monster that was there earlier, guarding some chest that you were curious about. Why not?  Because it's now changed into something even harder to match your character level.
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Sacred 2 auto-leveling of enemies will have a rat leveling form 1 to 40, which is significantly different from Oblivion's method of auto-leveling monsters which could, for example, have the same rat at level 1, but would now introduce a completely new monster type, a Minotaur for instanceat level 40.
  
This is far, far, FAR different thing to adjusting the monster '''level''' based on '''your''' level:
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The two types of leveling found within Sacred 2 and Oblivion are distinct and markedly different from each other.
 
 
* Sacred 2: If a rat goes from level 1 to 40, that's one thing.
 
* Oblivion: If a rat is a rat at level 1, but a [b]minotaur[/b] at level 40, that's something else.
 
 
 
So Sacred 2 auto-levelling is not the same as Oblivion, therefore the arguments that pertain to Oblivion's system and why it was horrible, do not apply to Sacred 2's.
 
  
 
===Challenge and Difficulty===
 
===Challenge and Difficulty===
  
Now the reason auto levelling comes under fire, is actually because players aren't finding the game challenging enough and blame it on the auto-levelling feature. Auto-levelling is, actually, a moot point since the '''real issue''' is that there is ''no challenge'' and that gamers cannot get ahead due to the perceived auto-balancing. Lets look at another popular hack 'n slash RPG, Diablo 2.  In Diablo 2 for example, you could find a great weapon, and suddenly you were at the upper end of the power curve.  The power curve is the balancing mechanism that provides challenge.  It ensures you are not to strong, and also that the enemy is beatable.  In Diablo 2 it fluctuated a lot, you found a monster who was better, then you levelled up got a new skill and were back up there. It was a constant struggle which was enjoyable. In Sacred 2 the difficultly appears fleeting, if not absent.  Here are a few possible reasons from my experience so far:
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One reason why players may not like the auto-leveling feature in Sacred 2 is due to the perception that monsters are not challenging enough, hence the blame on the auto-leveling feature.
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Auto-leveling is, actually, a moot point since the '''real issue''' is that there is ''no challenge'' and that gamers cannot get ahead due to the perceived auto-balancing. A look at another popular hack 'n slash RPG, Diablo 2, demonstrates that a player could find a great weapon, and they would suddenly be at the upper end of the power curve.  The power curve is the balancing mechanism that provides challenge.  It ensures that a player is not to strong, and also that an enemy is beatable.  The power curve mechanism in Diablo 2 would fluctuate, so that if a player found an enemy that was unbeatable at a certain level, the player could just gain levels, perhaps gain a new skill and then return to the previous monster which could then be beaten. While using that particular method leveling, the game was a constant but enjoyable struggle.In Sacred 2 the difficulty appears fleeting, if not absent.  There are possible reasons why this exists:
  
1)  It didn't get as much attention as it should have.
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1)  Perhaps not enough attention was spent on creating the many more different enemies that would be needed to last through the many more levels in Sacred 2 than there are in Diablo 2.
2)  The world is huge and free-roaming (talk about this in a second).
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2)  The world is much larger, free-roaming and therefore needs more content to emulate the same sort of pleasant challenge that Diablo 2 offered.
3)  The level range is huge, 1-200.  Put that in perspective, Titan Quest was 1-75 and Diablo 2 was 1-99.
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3)  The level range in Sacred 2 is huge, 1-200, whereas Titan Quest's was 1-75 and Diablo 2 was 1-99.
  
Sacred 2 has a huge difference to Diablo 2, it has a fully open world.  Each area has level caps for the monstersSo the rats in the first area around Sloeford actually cap out at level 37.  The reason for this, is that as per the manual, you get experience based on the level of the creature you defeatYou can't go and kill thousands of creatures that are level 1, who provide no challenge for your level 80 Seraphim, because they give you 0 XP.  The closer their level gets to your character level, the better, the higher compared to your character level the better too as then the highlight for the enemy creature is red which yields maximum experience.  The reason enemies increase in power as you do, and the reason that they are capped as I was saying, is because then you have time to explore this massive area, and level up and so on, '''without''' exhausting the supply of enemies around your level - so you get enough experience to level up.
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One of Sacred 2's largest differences to Diablo 2 is it's fully open world.  Each area has level caps for the enemiesRats, for example,  in the first area around Sloeford possess a level cap of 37.  The reason for this, is that as per the manual, players receive experience based upon the level of the creature defeatedA player would have no reason to kill thousands of creatures that are level 1, who provide no challenge for a level 80 Seraphim, because they would give the player 0 XP.  The closer an enemy's level approaches a player's level, the better, the higher compared to your character level the better too as then the highlight for the enemy creature is red which yields maximum experience.  The reason enemies increase in level and power as a player does and, as well,  the reason that enemies are capped in areas, is to allow a player time to explore a chosen massive area while continuing to level up, without exhausting the supply of enemies close to the player's level, which gives the player enough experience to level up with.
  
 
Diablo 2 [http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Experience did the same thing], except they capped the max too.
 
Diablo 2 [http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Experience did the same thing], except they capped the max too.
  
In Diablo 2 the world is linear (randomised, but closed).  It's like a complex maze.  The enemies are staggered in their level.  Look at the way the enemies' levels are organised on [http://www.d2tomb.com/monsters3.shtml this page.] They offer a good range, but are ''all around the same average level.''
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In Diablo 2 the world is linear (randomized, but closed) ,very much like a complex maze.  The enemies are staggered in their level.  Enemy levels as organized [http://www.d2tomb.com/monsters3.shtml here, ] offer a good range, but are still around the same average level.
  
So.  Players '''were always fighting monsters around their level''', by nature of the way the game was controlled - it was a closed system, and players were known to be of a certain level by the time they reached area X or whateverIf you were not, then you got depreciating returns in experience - and thus found it very hard, like the jump from normal to nightmare and nightmare to hell - as there were usually a few levels disparity between the two, ie, they didn't match up precisely.
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Players would constantly fight monsters around their level, by nature of the way the game was controlled. It was a closed system, and players were known to be of a certain level by the time they reached a selected, chosen area.  And if not,a player would receive depreciating returns in experience, and thus would found the game difficult to play, as in the jump from normal to nightmare and nightmare to hell, as there were usually a few levels disparity between the two, due to the levels not matching up precisely.  
  
 
===Summary===
 
===Summary===
  
So, this has been a long read, but the auto levelling criticism is being levelled at Sacred 2 incorrectly.  The very last thing I will say, is that the initial areas are like a '''MASSIVE''' tutorial section. There is little challenge there ''on purpose'', you get to explore, poke about with your character and do some quests.  Because the game is so huge, this drags on a bit, because many veterans from action RPGs will play Sacred 2, and get to grips with the game immediately, they will wonder what's going on.  Why is it so easy, and even if they stick it out to level 30, it will still be easy.  One player on their official forums said that the game really starts around level 50, and if you look at some of the Hardcore players, you will see a lot of deaths at this stage.  Don't let the fact that because the developers decided to ''show you the monster level'', that it's doing something different, or indeed, that it's doing something different to our favourite games like Diablo 2.  It really isn't.
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It would be useful for a player to consider the auto-leveling in initial areas as a large tutorial section. The scant challenge offered purposely, has been created to instruct the player with quests, while familiarizing himself with his character.
 
 
The slow start is a bit of an issue in my opinion, because a level 37 character, for example my Shadow Warrior has almost fully cleared the entire starting area, and has just started to find some challenging battles.  All I can say is stick with it, as you will begin to see where the game goes and really enjoy it.
 

Revision as of 13:17, 25 October 2008

Auto Leveling

Auto leveling in Sacred 2 is a hotly disputed subject, especially after the purported discovery that Oblivion "apparently" does it the same way. This section details the auto leveling in Sacred 2 and also explains why it is a completely different mechanic to the way Oblivion handled it, and also why, in fact, auto leveling is needed for Sacred 2 to function properly.

Oblivion vs Sacred 2 Auto Leveling

There is, firstly, a misunderstanding about auto-leveling. Many players interchangeably use the term with the understanding that leveling is handled the same way in both Oblivion and Sacred 2, while both in fact are different.

Oblivion adjusted the monsters based upon a player's level. This is important:

Oblivion adjusts the monsters based on your level.

The monsters would actually change. This means that it would be difficult to do what the majority of gamers seem to enjoy doing, which is getting ahead of the power curve. It is impossible to go and craft a perfect weapon, with the hope in returning to destroy the previous enemy with ease especially if was guarding a treasure chest that the player was curious about. This would have been impossible to do because the monster that was previously guarding the treasure chest had now changed into a more powerful monster to match the character's new level.

This is significantly different from simply having an adjustment to an enemy's Italic textlevel based upon a player's new level:

Sacred 2 auto-leveling of enemies will have a rat leveling form 1 to 40, which is significantly different from Oblivion's method of auto-leveling monsters which could, for example, have the same rat at level 1, but would now introduce a completely new monster type, a Minotaur for instance, at level 40.

The two types of leveling found within Sacred 2 and Oblivion are distinct and markedly different from each other.

Challenge and Difficulty

One reason why players may not like the auto-leveling feature in Sacred 2 is due to the perception that monsters are not challenging enough, hence the blame on the auto-leveling feature. Auto-leveling is, actually, a moot point since the real issue is that there is no challenge and that gamers cannot get ahead due to the perceived auto-balancing. A look at another popular hack 'n slash RPG, Diablo 2, demonstrates that a player could find a great weapon, and they would suddenly be at the upper end of the power curve. The power curve is the balancing mechanism that provides challenge. It ensures that a player is not to strong, and also that an enemy is beatable. The power curve mechanism in Diablo 2 would fluctuate, so that if a player found an enemy that was unbeatable at a certain level, the player could just gain levels, perhaps gain a new skill and then return to the previous monster which could then be beaten. While using that particular method leveling, the game was a constant but enjoyable struggle.In Sacred 2 the difficulty appears fleeting, if not absent. There are possible reasons why this exists:

1) Perhaps not enough attention was spent on creating the many more different enemies that would be needed to last through the many more levels in Sacred 2 than there are in Diablo 2. 2) The world is much larger, free-roaming and therefore needs more content to emulate the same sort of pleasant challenge that Diablo 2 offered. 3) The level range in Sacred 2 is huge, 1-200, whereas Titan Quest's was 1-75 and Diablo 2 was 1-99.

One of Sacred 2's largest differences to Diablo 2 is it's fully open world. Each area has level caps for the enemies. Rats, for example, in the first area around Sloeford possess a level cap of 37. The reason for this, is that as per the manual, players receive experience based upon the level of the creature defeated. A player would have no reason to kill thousands of creatures that are level 1, who provide no challenge for a level 80 Seraphim, because they would give the player 0 XP. The closer an enemy's level approaches a player's level, the better, the higher compared to your character level the better too as then the highlight for the enemy creature is red which yields maximum experience. The reason enemies increase in level and power as a player does and, as well, the reason that enemies are capped in areas, is to allow a player time to explore a chosen massive area while continuing to level up, without exhausting the supply of enemies close to the player's level, which gives the player enough experience to level up with.

Diablo 2 did the same thing, except they capped the max too.

In Diablo 2 the world is linear (randomized, but closed) ,very much like a complex maze. The enemies are staggered in their level. Enemy levels as organized here, offer a good range, but are still around the same average level.

Players would constantly fight monsters around their level, by nature of the way the game was controlled. It was a closed system, and players were known to be of a certain level by the time they reached a selected, chosen area. And if not,a player would receive depreciating returns in experience, and thus would found the game difficult to play, as in the jump from normal to nightmare and nightmare to hell, as there were usually a few levels disparity between the two, due to the levels not matching up precisely.

Summary

It would be useful for a player to consider the auto-leveling in initial areas as a large tutorial section. The scant challenge offered purposely, has been created to instruct the player with quests, while familiarizing himself with his character.