Q) I know you're at a higher resolution, but you've decided to stick with small parties to keep the RPG feel. I also know that parties will have the ability to use 2 (?) items in combat. I would guess you're going to stick with the same basic formula (i.e. don't fix what's not broken) but are you making any other sorts of specific changes to the combat screen (for example)? Are the characters going to be able to shift positions in combat? Is there going to be a little better AI in terms of "oh, I can't do anything to this opponent, I guess I'll retreat"? Is it still going to be basically one group on one side, one on the other trading blows by initiative? Might this be randomized a little (ie. not such a predictable order?). Is the specific setting (ship, forest, mountain, etc.) going to have any effect on combat or spells (or just a neutral backdrop as in D1?)
A) The changes to the combat system are that combat window is now full screen, leaders can use additional items in battle (and each object can only be used once per battle), you can click on the unit itself or on it's icon, new combat abilities for units and leaders, and the computer combat AI is being rewritten so that it will retreat when it should.
What hasn't changed in combat, is that there are 2 parties that attack each other, and the order of attack is based on an initiative value that's combined with a random factor every round. It's predictable in the sense that units with a very low initiative value will attack after units with a very high initiative value. Part of the reason I would select an Archer over a Mage is because the Archer has a higher initiative value. If the attack order for the units was more randomized, then the strategy of selecting one unit over another would be lost.
Q) Spells on creatures/units in towns - possible (albeit with a protective effect)? I never liked the flat ban on any spell affecting what is in a town.
A) In Disciples: Sacred Lands spells can't be cast on towns, because towns are not just big parties. A town can produce an endless supply of units, it can heal and revive injured units, a town sustains a population that can be replenished, a party is a group of adventurers that can be destroyed. We are looking at creating some spells that specifically work against towns, and also looking at other thief actions that have an effect on towns.
Q) Any possibility of a unit editor? If I want to design an orc unit or something you don't include, would it be possible using a current unit's sprites?
A) There are plans for a unit editor that will allow you to change the statistics, the description and the name for each unit, but you won't be able to edit the unit's image.
Q) In the first game, there were different levels of spells, but they were certainly of different VALUE to the player even within levels, despite their consistent learning/casting cost within the levels. Is there going to be some tweaking of this - i.e. a 1st level ward spell against water might be only 80 points to cast (since there are fewer water attack spells, and more creatures are naturally immune*) while a fire spell at first level might be 120. [*I don't know if this is true, it's just an example]
A) We are definitely going to spend time calibrating the all units and spells for Dark Prophecy, but at the same time I think that each of the spells, like everything in the game, has a different value to different players. There are certainly spells that I don't consider valuable, that other players can't do without, and I think that's what made this game great. Each of the playtesters had a different opinion on how strong or weak a certain spell or unit should be, and we based the statistics of the individual items on the feedback we received from the testers. Some of the playtesters are still bugging me about the usefulness of the Giant units.
Q) Any variety to the spells based on the caster's level - ala a teleport spell would have a further range if cast by a 3rd level Mage vs. a 1st level? Any chance of terrain-affecting spells - i.e. an Earthquake that actually causes a 4- or 5-tile long random crack to appear in the ground? Or a Wilt spell that removes trees? Basically - will the map be deformable/changeable?
A) Magic used in the strategic map in Disciples: Sacred Lands depended on Mana and not on the level of the spell caster. I'm not sure if it will change for Dark Prophecy because that would be hard to calibrate. We are looking at adding a few elements to the game that will change the terrain during the quest.
Q) Any influence of the tile type on which a battle is fought? I always thought a party should get a (small) bonus for fighting on home ground, or a penalty for fighting on enemy turf.
A) That's an idea that came up during the development of the first game, and we're looking at it for Dark Prophecy.
