[Release] "Masteries"

[Llian]

Installed this and tried it today and whilst I love the idea, so far I'm just not finding a huge amount of synergies amongst the Masteries. The incompatible ways is a part of this, but also with the costs of some things it seems to slow the game down. So far I have tried an Ice Sorceror and a Spear Close Combat guy.

Side note: Battle Aura desc is misleading. It doesn't add damage on, it causes damage much like ToW, and therefore only affects the enemies. Took me ages to figure out why I didnt see any effects.

[i.n.s.a.n.e]

Originally Posted by Hyperion²

What modifications has been done to the original game, for what deal with the gameplay?

I don't know if it's me, but i found a bit more enemies along the way, and a bit harder ones....

As far as I am concerned, the game has not been touched...only the items...

[i.n.s.a.n.e]

Originally Posted by Llian

Installed this and tried it today and whilst I love the idea, so far I'm just not finding a huge amount of synergies amongst the Masteries. The incompatible ways is a part of this, but also with the costs of some things it seems to slow the game down. So far I have tried an Ice Sorceror and a Spear Close Combat guy.

Side note: Battle Aura desc is misleading. It doesn't add damage on, it causes damage much like ToW, and therefore only affects the enemies. Took me ages to figure out why I didnt see any effects.

You cannot ingratiate everyone... For example I like it that way...PinkFrog also...and there is enough synergies...Close combat for example has really enough synergies imho! And the Sorcery? Heh...it is supposed to have many different spells, so you cannot have many synergies there...

About the Battle Aura - If you were playing with show-all-dmg mod, you would see it... And you can also see the monsters dying quicker on Normal, do not tell me you cannot! And it does not affect only enemies...only this part, the rest affects you! You can also increase this dmg with STR and stuff.

[lufe]

I think it will be helpful to illustrate how to play masteries, so I prepared a small pic tutorial.


Windows 2000/XP Users:
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So, after copying the masteries subdirectory that you extracted on your zip file, you will have a directory called C:\Documents and Settings\<YourNameHere>\My Documents\My Games\Titan Quest - Immortal Throne\custommaps\masteries\ (or equivalent).

From the fx_textures subdirectory that you unpacked, copy ONLY THE FILES inside, not the subdirectory, to C:\Program Files\THQ\Titan Quest\Database.

Note that the masteries directory goes to ".....\My Documents\......\Titan Quest Immortal Throne\custommaps\, while fx_textures CONTENTS (not the directory itself, only the files inside) goes to ....\Program Files\....\Titan Quest\Database\
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Windows VISTA Users:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, after copying the masteries subdirectory that you extracted on your zip file, you will have a directory called C:\Users\<YourNameHere>\Documents\My Games\Titan Quest - Immortal Throne\custommaps\masteries (or equivalent).

From the fx_textures subdirectory that you unpacked, copy ONLY THE FILES inside, not the subdirectory, to C:\Program Files\THQ\Titan Quest\Database.

Note that the masteries directory goes to ".....\Documents\......Titan Quest Immortal Throne\CustomMaps\, while fx_textures CONTENTS (not the directory itself, only the files inside) goes to .....\Program Files\....\Titan Quest\Database\
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What can be a little confusing and you have to be careful is that the My Documents relates to the Immortal Throne product, while the Program Files relates to the standard Titan Quest product. Be sure you've looked well where to install both parts of the mod.
Ok, now you copied it.

Let's start the game:

1) Choose Play Custom Quest

2) Select the Masteries Mod

Note: If the Masteries Mod is the only one you have, it will be automatically selected.

3) Create a New Char

You WON'T be using this char, you won't play with it. So I am calling this char NOT_TO_USE. You only need to create a char on the "Custom Quest" screen if you don't have any "Custom Quest" char. Otherwise, you can use an existing one.

4) Hit the "Start" game arrow.

5) WTF? The game will seem like starting but...

6) ... Your are bounced back to the start screen (but NOT the Custom Quest one)

This is NORMAL, everything is going fine. You know that everything is going fine because your normal chars seem to have no armor on. This is not permanent. Now, you will see one of your main Quest chars (the normal TQIT chars). DO NOT ENTER THE GAME NOW WITH THEM!!!.See next slide.

7)Create now a NEW CHAR on the Main Quest screen:

I STRONGLY ADVISE you to create char names that will distinguish them from the Main Quest chars. I have named mine MASTERIES_TEST, As you see, I am NOT using the char on the screen (DyeTester), but making a new one.

8 ) Select the char that you have created to start the Masteries Mod and hit the "Masteries" arrow. Do NOT go again to the Custom Quest screen. Stay where you are and start the game.

9) Nothing looks different as the normal game. To see the difference, you have to play your char until level 2.

10) You've reached level 2, noy you can hit "S" to choose your skill tree... and voilà!!! Now you see the new Masteries, finally.

[lufe]

11) Choose your new mastery and enjoy the difference.

Notes: DO NOT PLAY MASTERIES MOD WITH CHARS THAT PLAYED NORMAL TITAN QUEST IMMORTAL THRONE BEFORE, this will screw up their skill tree, and


DO NOT PLAY NORMAL TITAN QUEST IMMORTAL THRONE GAME with MASTERIES MOD CHARS either!!! That will most probably also screw up their skill tree. Keep the chars separated. That's why I suggested: give very identifiable names to your Masteries Mod chars, because they are otherwise indistinguishable from the Normal TQIT chars.

After you have created and played a Masteries Mod char, you have always to follow steps 1, 2, 4 and 8 of the previous post to enter the Masteries Mod with your existing Masteries Mod char. Otherwise you will play Normal Titan Quest Immortal Throne with it... and screw up your Masteries Mod char.

[RDespair]

Multiple Shot's Energy cost prohibited?! 3-10 Energy cost isn't exactly hard to afford. It's not like it drains energy every second like an aura.

I noticed that Way of the Sickening Arrows in-game description was different than the website's description. I assume the change (drop from 35% chance for reduced resistance down to 5% chance) was because the skill was found to be powerful? I'm afraid the new version of the skill is too weak for an exclusive aura (especially given how powerful skills in general seem to be in this mod) since the poison damage is negligible even in Normal and the resistance drop is unreliable. For reference, the Rogue's poison skill gives 230 Poison over 6 seconds at LV12 and it's a tier 1 skill.

I think a good and simple addition to make the Way of the Sickening Arrow more appealing would be to add +% Poison Damage & +% Poison Duration to its list of abilities. Then, at least, it would have synergy with other poison attacks.

And I have to agree with Llian; I'm not finding a ton of synergies amongst the masteries. This isn't necessarily a criticism, just a noticeable difference between the Masteries mod (which seems to be more about flavor and throwing in as many cool ideas for skills as possible) and the regular game (which was all about the synergies).

[cymbal]

Hi, i have a question. I'm trying to play with a friend via Hamachi but it doesn't work, have any ideas why it doesn't work?

[i.n.s.a.n.e]

Originally Posted by cymbal

Hi, i have a question. I'm trying to play with a friend via Hamachi but it doesn't work, have any ideas why it doesn't work?

Hi,


To be frank, no...

It did not work for me either...and we also forgot to fix it, darn it...

1. Do you both have this mod?
2. Do you have the same database.arz?

These are only things that come into my mind...sorry...

[Hyperion²]

Originally Posted by i.n.s.a.n.e

As far as I am concerned, the game has not been touched...only the items...

Probably i had a wrong impressions; using bestiary maestry, the number of moving toons in the screen is really huge, so it seems there are more mobs than the ones there are actually.

And also i didn't put a single stat point, so i have really low hp for my lvl, since i preferred to put 1 point to all the skill to see how they were; this way i have put only few points in the mastery tree, and i have low hp (700 hp for a lvl 10 toon).
Obviously i didn't tweak the toon with items i have found during the normal playing of original tq.

[lufe]

Originally Posted by i.n.s.a.n.e

Hi,


To be frank, no...

It did not work for me either...and we also forgot to fix it, darn it...

1. Do you both have this mod?
2. Do you have the same database.arz?

These are only things that come into my mind...sorry...

It has to work for people playing in MP. Make sure that both can play normal Titan Quest Immortal Throne together, then that BOTH enter the Masteries Mod the same way, i.e., they Go to Custom Quest Screen, start mod, go to main screen, choose a new char that was made for Masteries Mod only, and then enter the game. It will work this way, I'm 100% sure of it.