Re: version 0.92.1

[Raphael.Quinet@eed.ericsson.se]

Here is a translation of that french message...  I started translating it
line by line, but the style is so horrible (sorry, Ludovic) that I decided
to skip the uninteresting parts and summarize a bit.

Here is what Ludovic Maillet <lmaillet@ufrima.imag.fr> had to say:

  I hate this new version.  The more I play and the more I hate it...
  Two or three things really get me nervous:
   - The Beldoran's weapons trashed.
     6 or 7 levels less than my previous weakest weapon (26 less than my
     favourite weapon)
   - One year's work wasted because of these shitty skills. 
   - I don't care knowing if I use clerics or sorcerers spells, if I'm
     pushing when I crush a door, ... (although this doesn't annoy me too
     much)
   [...]
  Some skills are interesting but existed in another form in the previous
  version:
   - What's the point in learning new skills (without a chance to fail) in
     order to be able to do things that one could do before without learning
     them?
   - What's the point in lockpicking a door in order to increase one's
     lockpick skill and open doors more easily, if it was so easy to hit
     them?  I don't know yet if it is possible to lockpick a door which
     requires a special key, but if this is so, then some quests are doomed.
   - Some spells became clerical and so are very hard to use by sorcerers.
     I'm not a cleric by vocation, but a sorcerer, and being denied the use
     of some spells is unfair.
   
  Criticizing is one thing, but proposing new ideas is more interesting and
  useful:
  1. In the previous version, the classes were very close to each other and
     it is still true in the new version (a sorcerer can easily become a
     powerful warrior and vice versa).  There should be a version which
     really separates them.  For example some skills (that really add
     something) specific to each class: clerical spells, prayers, graces and
     gods for the clerics, simple battle spells and the like for the
     sorcerers, and martial skills as strong melee weapons for the warriors.
     It should be impossible for some class to use some skills...
  2. The new version has new spells that weren't in the old one, but since
     there are so few of them and they are divided in two categories, there
     are in fact less spells.  Some useful spells such as heal, fireball,...
     [should be common], the differences being on "exotic" spells such as
     earth to dust, holy word,...  There should be twice as many spells,
     each kind being specific to one class (clerical spells for clerics).
     Very few spells for warriors and very specific (battle skills).
  3. Some weakened classes should be leveled up (monk...).
  4. Keep the old unique ranking system which avoided painful and pointless
     calculations and reflected very well the power of the character in his
     domain.
  5. Maybe create very high level spells (> 20) besides spells with power
     increasing according to the level (which is good).  For example, a
     level 40 spell for summoning big beasts, or a permanent spell, or a
     transformation spell...
  6. Create a system which allows old players to be integrated in the history
     of the game.  Example: being allowed to buy a house, to have a plate
     somewhere for having succeeeded in such and such thing, having a job...
     all this kept despite reboots...


That's it for the translation.  Ludovic, if you are reading this, I hope that
I didn't skip some parts that were interesting for you.  Correct me if
something is wrong in my translation.

-Raphael