Grim's Portfolio of Newbie questions

[GrimSloth]

Hey there. So I realized that down the line, I'm gonna have quite a few questions about the game. So instead of making a new thread for each question, having just one, bundled with everything on my mind would be better (plus less spam). The OP sadly cannot be edited after some time has passed, so I'll try to format things as best I can. So without further ado:




Question [1]

What's up with regeneration in this game?

Something which has bothered me since day 1, was how awkward regeneration is(both HP and MP). For some reason it spikes up and down. Sometimes less often, sometimes quite often.

Initially I thought it was zone modifiers. Then I thought there was a hidden bleed/hurt mechanic. Then maybe the hunger mechanic, but I'm always packing food and water and it gets automatically consumed from what I've experienced so far, so it can't be that too.



Question [2]

Chance to hit

Is this only based on level? Is there any way to improve it? I made an alt Shadow Knight whom I'm enjoying quite a lot. However I can't dare battle anything which is yellow, because the vast majority of my attacks miss.



Question [3]

Lull line of spells

Ok, this one is pretty dumb, but I'd like to be certain about it. I saw a lot of Enchanters on youtube still rocking the starting level Lull spell. Likewise, I'm sticking just to it and haven't picked up its follow up upgrade. The question is, what's the difference between the different lines of Lull like spells(apart from duration). Is it hit chance?



Question [4]

Modding

Is editing textures allowed? I normally wouldn't ask this for an MMO, however in the Duxa installer, several texture alterations are present, and those seem to be a-ok. Now I know this is a sensitive topic, but making a change like this would be local only. I don't want to initiate anything yet in case it's strictly forbidden and has a steaming ban hammer on the side.

[Vivitron]

Question [1]

What's up with regeneration in this game?[/B][/CENTER]

Something which has bothered me since day 1, was how awkward regeneration is(both HP and MP). For some reason it spikes up and down. Sometimes less often, sometimes quite often.

Initially I thought it was zone modifiers. Then I thought there was a hidden bleed/hurt mechanic. Then maybe the hunger mechanic, but I'm always packing food and water and it gets automatically consumed from what I've experienced so far, so it can't be that too.



Nothing hidden like zone modifiers, just the buffs/race/level/meditation skill stuff that you would expect. If you watch close you can see some small nonsense bounces in hp and mana because of client/server mismatch and syncing.

Question [3]

Lull line of spells

Ok, this one is pretty dumb, but I'd like to be certain about it. I saw a lot of Enchanters on youtube still rocking the starting level Lull spell. Likewise, I'm sticking just to it and haven't picked up its follow up upgrade. The question is, what's the difference between the different lines of Lull like spells(apart from duration). Is it hit chance?

They have the same hit chance. Unless the newer version of a spell has a different resist modifier (which should be reflected in the wiki), all the spells from the same line should resist the same.

In addition to duration the higher spells reduce the aggro range more, cost more mana, and have a longer cast and recast. To save mana you use the lowest one that has the necessary effect. For example you might pacify a wanderer that you expect to wander back into the area where you fight but lull the rest of the mobs you are splitting. If the mobs you are splitting are close to each other you might have to use calm instead of lull.

N.B. High charisma reduces crit lull failures (aggro from a failed lull-line spell) a ton.

[GrimSloth]

If you watch close you can see some small nonsense bounces in hp and mana because of client/server mismatch and syncing.
Alright, so I guess that's the culprit


They have the same hit chance. Unless the newer version of a spell has a different resist modifier (which should be reflected in the wiki), all the spells from the same line should resist the same.

In addition to duration the higher spells reduce the aggro range more, cost more mana, and have a longer cast and recast. To save mana you use the lowest one that has the necessary effect. For example you might pacify a wanderer that you expect to wander back into the area where you fight but lull the rest of the mobs you are splitting. If the mobs you are splitting are close to each other you might have to use calm instead of lull.

N.B. High charisma reduces crit lull failures (aggro from a failed lull-line spell) a ton.
Thank you for the clarification!

[Balimon]

Question [2]

Chance to hit

Is this only based on level? Is there any way to improve it? I made an alt Shadow Knight whom I'm enjoying quite a lot. However I can't dare battle anything which is yellow, because the vast majority of my attacks miss.





Strength, weapon skill, and attack rating.

[Stonewallx39]

Question [2]

Chance to hit

Is this only based on level? Is there any way to improve it? I made an alt Shadow Knight whom I'm enjoying quite a lot. However I can't dare battle anything which is yellow, because the vast majority of my attacks miss.


It’s been said before but it’s important to state again, level is the most important statistic in Everquest. It has significant modifiers on hit chance (both offensive and defensive) and spell effectiveness. Of course other statistics affect this as well but a couple levels difference is huge for your ability to handle an area or get squashed.

This is however a mechanic that makes leveling in eq few really significant and you will certain feel more powerful as you gain ground (and completely insignificant when you move to a new higher level area).

[GrimSloth]

Strength, weapon skill, and attack rating.

Doesn't Strength only affect damage dealt? Weapon skill is level bound isn't it? The only mention of Attack Rating I saw from the wiki, is on Grim Aura and that only affects damage dealt.

So basically, there is no modifier which can be found on items that can affect hit chance. Alright, case closed on that one too.

Question [5]

Skill Points

From what I'm seeing so far, skills level up themselves so on what am I supposed to spend my skill points on? Trade skills?

[Sabin76]

Many skills will only level up themselves if you already have a point in them, which means that you need to spend at least one training session in those skills. Most people save the rest for tradeskills, I'd wager (as you said). Usually a lot cheaper than buying the mats and not even getting the skill up.

[GrimSloth]

Many skills will only level up themselves if you already have a point in them, which means that you need to spend at least one training session in those skills. Most people save the rest for tradeskills, I'd wager (as you said). Usually a lot cheaper than buying the mats and not even getting the skill up.
Nice, marking this one off the list too

[Benanov]

Question [1]

What's up with regeneration in this game?

The client presumes later-in-the-timeline increased HP and Mana regen values and acts accordingly (this would cut down network traffic - remember this game was designed to be played over a 28.8 modem). The server sends the correct value a few seconds later.

[Tethler]

Doesn't Strength only affect damage dealt? Weapon skill is level bound isn't it? The only mention of Attack Rating I saw from the wiki, is on Grim Aura and that only affects damage dealt.

So basically, there is no modifier which can be found on items that can affect hit chance. Alright, case closed on that one too.



I'm pretty sure Attack Rating value goes into the hit calculation. Since strength increases attack rating, it also increases hit chance. Attack rating value is based on Offense skill, Strength, and the skill of your equipped weapon (1hs, 2hb, etc). Increasing any/all of those will increase hit chance.

Hit chance is also reduced based on your target's defensive skills, so a yellow mob will have higher defense than a blue, so you'll miss a lot more.

A lot of people in the thread mentioned that level is a big factor, which is true. I am, however, unsure of the underlying mechanics of that. Is it actually being 1 level higher that will make a difference, or is it the associated skill caps that come with being 1 level higher? I'm not quite sure. It may be both.

[Stonewallx39]

A lot of people in the thread mentioned that level is a big factor, which is true. I am, however, unsure of the underlying mechanics of that. Is it actually being 1 level higher that will make a difference, or is it the associated skill caps that come with being 1 level higher? I'm not quite sure. It may be both.

No science here but I’m pretty sure there’s a modifier for level beyond just that of the skill difference. Two examples that come to mind, when you’re in your 40s and skills are capped you can tell a big difference when facing blue vs white mobs, and when you gain a level or two you improve significantly against the same mobs where you used to struggle. The second example (obviously not apples to apples but...) spells land much more consistently on mobs that are blue to you, I’m not aware there is any skill modifier for spell effectiveness my understanding is that skill in a specific school of magic on reduces fizzle chances.

Could totally be off base, for a 20 year old game there are still some mysteries that allude some of us lay people.

[GrimSloth]

I'm pretty sure Attack Rating value goes into the hit calculation. Since strength increases attack rating, it also increases hit chance. Attack rating value is based on Offense skill, Strength, and the skill of your equipped weapon (1hs, 2hb, etc). Increasing any/all of those will increase hit chance.

Hit chance is also reduced based on your target's defensive skills, so a yellow mob will have higher defense than a blue, so you'll miss a lot more.

A lot of people in the thread mentioned that level is a big factor, which is true. I am, however, unsure of the underlying mechanics of that. Is it actually being 1 level higher that will make a difference, or is it the associated skill caps that come with being 1 level higher? I'm not quite sure. It may be both.
I was confused about attack rating because I didn't see it mentioned in the wiki and completely forgot about it being blatantly visible under your other vital stats. Still, I thought that it only affected damage.

Could totally be off base, for a 20 year old game there are still some mysteries that allude some of us lay people.

I find that very fascinating! I guess having some mechanics not all that clear adds quite a bit of charm to the game.

In that case, can I ask if armor decreases damage by a % or does it reduce hit chance for the opponent. (like in Diablo 2)

[unleashedd]

In that case, can I ask if armor decreases damage by a % or does it reduce hit chance for the opponent. (like in Diablo 2)

i think AC (armor class) reduces the max damage an opponent can land on you. which is why AC is king for raid tanks

[Danth]

In that case, can I ask if armor decreases damage by a % or does it reduce hit chance for the opponent. (like in Diablo 2)

The AC statistic you see on your character sheet is a composite from several sources, and which influences both damage avoidance and damage mitigation. In other words there are different kinds of AC which do different things, but it's all called AC. Fun, huh? AC you gain from direct AC buff spells or from the equipment you wear improves mitigation. AC gained from the defense skill or from the Agility statistic improves your chance for your opponent to MISS you. Special skills such as Dodge or Parry depend solely on the value of those skills and their success rates are not modified by other statistics.

"Mitigation AC" such as from your armor affects your opponent's damage roll. Monsters in EQ score damage based on a random roll called damage interval, plus a fixed additional amount of damage called damage bonus. The fixed damage bonus is why monsters have a noticeable "minimum hit" that increases as you level. The damage interval roll is modified by AC--in effect the more armor you wear, the more the roll is weighted toward the lower end. You will take less damage over time if you wear high armor, but the maximum hit a monster can inflict upon you will not change. Instead, it'll hit you for high hits less frequently.

Danth

[unleashedd]

knowledge

[GrimSloth]

The AC statistic you see on your character sheet is a composite from several sources, and which influences both damage avoidance and damage mitigation. In other words there are different kinds of AC which do different things, but it's all called AC. Fun, huh? AC you gain from direct AC buff spells or from the equipment you wear improves mitigation. AC gained from the defense skill or from the Agility statistic improves your chance for your opponent to MISS you. Special skills such as Dodge or Parry depend solely on the value of those skills and their success rates are not modified by other statistics.

"Mitigation AC" such as from your armor affects your opponent's damage roll. Monsters in EQ score damage based on a random roll called damage interval, plus a fixed additional amount of damage called damage bonus. The fixed damage bonus is why monsters have a noticeable "minimum hit" that increases as you level. The damage interval roll is modified by AC--in effect the more armor you wear, the more the roll is weighted toward the lower end. You will take less damage over time if you wear high armor, but the maximum hit a monster can inflict upon you will not change. Instead, it'll hit you for high hits less frequently.

Danth

Very cool indeed, thank you for sharing 😁