Arcanum:WIP 6.0 now available

I'm still side-lined, so I can't test it myself, but this should work:

http://rapidshare.com/files/305939819/ArcBack.zip

Replace your Arcanum.exe with the one included, and move the two folders into your Data folder.
If this is a used stock-game install, locate the Arcanum\modules\Arcanum\maps folder and delete the oddly-named files within.
Start a new game and see if the new backgrounds are available.

Let me know if you have problems and I'll pack the folders into a DAT. I will need to know if you're using the UAP also.

 

I'm downloading it now, I'll get back to you once I've gotten around to making my nice shiney new clean install.

EDIT: It works nicely. Thank you muchly, good sir.

 

*Doffs hat*
You are welcome, good lady.

 

Thanks, I appreciate this, although I don't know if I'm doing it right. I unpacked the Arcanum3.dat file and the experience tables look unchanged. Regardless, I think you might be operating on some faulty math. In the original table, it takes 15,800 to get from 20 to 21. In A:WIP, it takes over 100,000. I can't tell you the precise amount because I can't find the altered experience table and I've already gotten about 70% of it in the game (I currently need about 35,000). Needless to say, the amount of experience required is far more than 1.5 times the original amount. In fact, even at 4 times the original amount, it's still only 63,200.

I don't know if I'm the only person experiencing this problem or if it has just gone unnoticed for a long time.

 

Places like levels 20 to 21 happens to fall on the demarcation line where the multiplier jumps by an extra 1/2 of the original value. This does cause a massive increase in the XP needed.

Stock game lvl 20 = 146700 X 1.5 = 220050
Stock game lvl 21 = 162500 X 2.0 = 325000
Difference - stock = 15800 - A:WIP = 104950

The math holds.

Since I'm still a ways away from being finished with this build, I'm not going to keep changing the values; instead, I'll keep adding new ways to add experience points.

Edit: You're not the first one to grumble about this, so I'll tell you the same thing I told them: Take advantage of the increased number of random encounters.

 

What? Heavens, that sounds horrible. It would be much better to apply those x1,5, x2, etc modifiers to the XP value between following levels instead of to the total amount of XP needed to get from lvl 1 to lvl X. Because the current XP system in the A:WIP is flawed: one has to gather three times the total amount of experience points to get from lvl 1 to lvl 50 anyway (I didn't play the A:WIP yet, but I doubt that it is or will be 3 times as big as vanilla Arcanum), with the gradient of modifiers being there just for show.

In a balanced game, the XP required to gain the next level should be increasing with each level with a certain formula. In Fallout 1/2 there are two simple rules: (1) You need 0k XP to achieve lvl 1, (2) You always need 1k more XP to achieve the next level than you needed to achieve the current one. Simple yet effective. In Arcanum the formula is more blurred, but the XP progress is quite balanced in its gradual growth, while from what I hear, in the A: WIP it looks like pretty much like:

XP from level x to x+1: 1000
XP from level x+1 to x+2: 2000
XP from level x+2 to x+3: 3000
XP from level x+3 to x+4: 10000 (woohoo!)
XP from level x+4 to x+5: 6000 (what?)
XP from level x+5 to x+6: 7500
XP from level x+6 to x+7: 9000 (yep, still less than from three levels lower)

rroyo, I have great faith in you. Surely A:WIP can hope for some balance and reason in this matter.

 

Hmmmm.... Interesting.

If I understand this correctly, then the formula would be:
This is stock values plus the addition, and Arcanum too, starts with 0 points for level 1.

{1} 0
{2} 2100 + 1000
{3} 4600 + 2000
{4} 7700 + 3000
{5} 11400 + 4000
{6} 15500 + 5000
{7} 20300 + 6000
{8} 25600 + 7000
{9} 31600 + 8000
{10} 38300 + 9000

Given the existing scheme preserves the stock game values for levels 1 - 10 to let the player level up quickly enough to get out of Shrouded Hills, I think starting this at level 11 would be a good idea.

Thoughts?

 

I like it, it makes sense to me. Run with it.

 

That's a nice combo of the Arcanum and Fallout leveling formulas, rroyo. Indeed it makes sense and changes the required XP values for following levels progressively. What is the XP amount needed to get from lvl 1 to lvl 50 in vanilla Arcanum? I just calculated that with this formula the Living One would need to gather 820'000 additional XP to get from lvl 1 to lvl 50 and it would be good to see how that bonus looks in comparison with the standard value.

 

Using the Fallout formula does make for a much more balanced level scheme. I believe I will change over to this.

Since I'm still trying to wake up, here's the two sets of numbers:

Stock Game

{1}{0}
{2}{2100}
{3}{4600}
{4}{7700}
{5}{11400}
{6}{15500}
{7}{20300}
{8}{25600}
{9}{31600}
{10}{38300}
{11}{45600}
{12}{53600}
{13}{62400}
{14}{71900}
{15}{82200}
{16}{93300}
{17}{105300}
{18}{118200}
{19}{132000}
{20}{146700}
{21}{162500}
{22}{179300}
{23}{197200}
{24}{216300}
{25}{236500}
{26}{257900}
{27}{280600}
{28}{304600}
{29}{330000}
{30}{356800}
{31}{385100}
{32}{414900}
{33}{446300}
{34}{479500}
{35}{514300}
{36}{551000}
{37}{589500}
{38}{630000}
{39}{672500}
{40}{717100}
{41}{764000}
{42}{813100}
{43}{864600}
{44}{918500}
{45}{975000}
{46}{1034200}
{47}{1096200}
{48}{1161100}
{49}{1229000}
{50}{1300000}


Modified

{1}{0}
{2}{2100}
{3}{4600}
{4}{7700}
{5}{11400}
{6}{15500}
{7}{20300}
{8}{25600}
{9}{31600}
{10}{38300}
{11}{46600}
{12}{55600}
{13}{65400}
{14}{75900}
{15}{87200}
{16}{99300}
{17}{112300}
{18}{126200}
{19}{141000}
{20}{156700}
{21}{173500}
{22}{191300}
{23}{210200}
{24}{230300}
{25}{251500}
{26}{273900}
{27}{297600}
{28}{322600}
{29}{349000}
{30}{376800}
{31}{406100}
{32}{436900}
{33}{469300}
{34}{503500}
{35}{539300}
{36}{577000}
{37}{616500}
{38}{658000}
{39}{701500}
{40}{747100}
{41}{795000}
{42}{845100}
{43}{897600}
{44}{952500}
{45}{1010000}
{46}{1070200}
{47}{1133200}
{48}{1199100}
{49}{1268000}
{50}{1340000}

 

You added 1000 to lvl 11, 2000 to lvl 12, 3000 to lvl 13, 4000 to lvl 14 and so on, forgetting that those are total values of XP for levels, not the result of a subtraction between the x+1 level and the x level (you don't need 1'300'000 to get from lvl 49 to lvl 50, you need that to get from lvl 1 to lvl 50; to get from lvl 49 one needs 71'000 and the additional 40'000 should be added to that value, not to the 1'300'000).

In your modified set one would need only an additional 40'000 XP to get from lvl 1 to lvl 50 when compared to vanilla Arcanum, and that 40'000 XP is merely a half of the value one would need to get from lvl 50 to lvl "51" (to get followers level up after he himself achieved lvl 50), and that is little in vanilla Arcanum already, not to mention the bigger A:WIP with its extended content and more frequent random encounters.

You should include all previous additions in the addition for a level, which means that you should be adding 1000 to lvl 11, 3000 (1000 + 2000) to lvl 12, 6000 (1000 + 2000 + 3000) to lvl 13, 10'000 (1000 + 2000 + 3000 + 4000) to lvl 14 and so on.

Keeping this in mind and starting the additions at lvl 11, this is the correctly modified set:

{1}{0}
{2}{2100}
{3}{4600}
{4}{7700}
{5}{11400}
{6}{15500}
{7}{20300}
{8}{25600}
{9}{31600}
{10}{38300}
{11}{46600}
{12}{56600}
{13}{68400}
{14}{81900}
{15}{97200}
{16}{114300}
{17}{133300}
{18}{154200}
{19}{177000}
{20}{201700}
{21}{228500}
{22}{257300}
{23}{288200}
{24}{321300}
{25}{356500}
{26}{393900}
{27}{433600}
{28}{475600}
{29}{520000}
{30}{566800}
{31}{616100}
{32}{667900}
{33}{722300}
{34}{779500}
{35}{839300}
{36}{902000}
{37}{967500}
{38}{1036000}
{39}{1107500}
{40}{1182100}
{41}{1260000}
{42}{1341100}
{43}{1425600}
{44}{1513500}
{45}{1605000}
{46}{1700200}
{47}{1799200}
{48}{1902100}
{49}{2009000}
{50}{2120000}

For a little visualization of what I'm talking about.

With this in the A:WIP, the Living One would have to gather ~63% more experience points than in vanilla in order to get from level 1 to level 50, which should be enough to not make him level up to lvl 50 too quickly and little enough to not make it impossible with the additional content, plus as we can see on the chart above, the changes are progressive and fluent enough to not make the difference too noticeable. Looks balanced to me. What say you?

 

This is something I wouldn't have thought of for expanding an existing numerical sequence. Creating an entirely new one, possibly.

Since the level amount separation occurs in the levels I'll be adding most of the new adventures anyway - 19 and above, I'll be using your sequence instead of mine.
Thanks!

 

My XP-per-level values in the A:WIP? The pleasure is mine, good sir!

 

As noted in the change-log:

21) Implemented a Fallout-inspired leveling sequence suggested and devised by Muro Lightning.

 

Is there a problem in using the unofficial patch and the high resolution patch along with A:WIP?

When I try to cycle to one of the new character backgrounds with all three installed the game crashes. Simply loading a new game up works, and I see the chest indicating your patch worked, but I'm afraid to continue with possible crashes later in the game.

 

Welcome to the forum, Drakka!

And yes, there is a problem with trying to use the UAP and A:WIP together. You'll need to choose between one or the other. Among other things, they unpack to the same location. Read the OP for a more detailed explaination.
And - My hack has all but the last UAP release built into it.

The High-Resolution patch and A:WIP have had no problems when used together, so that's available for your enjoyment.

BTW: The Extra Content pack was added to A:WIP too.

 

Hm, thank you, but it still seems to crash when I select one of the non-standard character backgrounds with just the A:WIP and High-Resolution patches installed. I don't know what OP stands for, so that might be a help

Also, I noticed you are changing the XP requirements for level-gain in the next patch and was wondering if you had an ETA for that. I'm not complaining about how long it would take; was about to replay the game and if it was soon in forthcoming I could wait.

 

Ok - These will be answered out of sequence.

2) OP means opening post; Page one, post one. It lists the plusses and minuses of the hack and gives the proper install directions.

1) Since you still are having problems getting the stock game and my hack to properly communicate, uninstall completely, then reinstall the game, the official 1.0.7.4 patch, and my hack in that order. That should do it.

3) There is no ETA for the 7.0 release because I'm still recovering from a house-fire.
Although I've recovered most of the data from my old hard-drive, I still need things like a computer with more RAM and install disks to repair or replace the games that were recovered. None of the three versions I had will start, which means crucial files were corrupted.
Once I do get going again, it'll take a minimum of two to three months to repair, recreate, or finish what I had going, so go ahead and install the 6.0 version. It's been the most stable release to date and well worth checking out.

 

Oh dear, that's rough. Well thank you.

 

Oh, also, I assume I install the high-res patch after your patch?