Wall of text incoming, so
I tried to highlight the important points. I've updated the main stats spreadsheet. Full credit and thanks goes to Billick of course for compiling most of it! I just built on a bit more and added some specialized info into it...
My updated stats sheet at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... FBTNU16SGc
In Armor, added Set column (e.g. Leather, Chitin, Valor).
In Spells,
added entries for player-cast utility spells.
Added Alchemy (new tab) with sections listing Tools, Ingredients, and Potions.
Added Food (new tab)
Edit: Oops, forgot to mention... Added Tomes (new tab) including Ixnatifual's Tome Library! (as seen here
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3338)
Added Slots-Builds (new tab) which demonstrates the distribution of item upgrades throughout the main LoG game.
In Exp, added experience to next level and extended the chart up to level 78.
A "First Seen" or
"Seen" column to most tabs which lists when the item or monster first appears in the main Legend of Grimrock game. I obtained this data in part by a partial run-through of the game, but mostly by referencing these sources:
The "First Seen" data should be quite accurate, but it's possible there are still errors. (e.g. Is the "Gear Amulet" in the game??)
Items which are dropped from monsters are marked as "Seen" as soon as that monster appears in the main LoG game, regardless if the item was physically placed in the dungeon by that point or not. (e.g. Skeleton warrior drops legionary items on dungeon level 1.) However, potions are NOT marked as "Seen" based on where it may be first made from alchemal ingredients. (e.g. The Sulphurous Potion first appears on dungeon level 9, although it could be made by the player as early as dungeon level 3 after a blooddrop blossom is found.)
I
added a "Suggested Level" (SL) column next to the "Seen" columns. The purpose of this is to give a reference guide for dungeon designers about where the item or monster should first appear in a dungeon for an excessively smooth leveling/difficulty curve. Specifically, the SL would be the ideal dungeon level for the item or monster to first appear in a dungeon with the same exp-per-level as the official LoG game. This value could probably be considered to be champion level for a 4-champion party.
Take the SL rating with a grain of salt because:
- This is a first iteration on the rating metric.
- I have limited understanding of the game internals.
- There IS wiggle room, especially at higher SL's and SL of armors. Some ratings are more "strict" than others. That is, the item/monsters placement can sometimes be moved a great distance from the SL sometimes without breaking the experience. Use your best judgement.
The Suggested Levels (SL's) are based on (in no particular order):
- Item/monster stats.
- Dungeon level it first appears on in the main LoG game.
- Required level of key skills.
- Lining up elemental "threats" and "solutions" to be the same SL. (Poison shield and serpent bracer both match the slime's SL of 4, which itself is based on the slime's stats.)
- Consistency within a "set" of armors. (Should probably not be actually placed together in a real dungeon.)
- Occasionally, smoothing out the frequency of upgrades throughout the range of the items. (e.g. Staves have SL's of 1,4,6,9 which is smoother than their "Seen" locations of 1,6,7,9.)
- Special effects/uses of the item.
Monsters should not appear at a level below their SL rating unless a risky encounter is desired or with consideration to surroundings, which may make the fight easier or harder. For example, the single ogre fought in the main game at dungeon level 6 was made much easier because he was placed in a wide-open room.
Items generally have quite a bit of wiggle room and SHOULD be varied to make the dungeon interesting, as long as one choice doesn't overwhelm all the others. Items could be placed below their SL if there is still a shortage of the desired item, or the item is a missable secret. For example, a shuriken with an SL of 5 can be placed on dungeon level 1 without much trouble, because there is only one of them. And a single pair of powerful boots can be dropped early because up to 4 sets of boots are needed by the party. It would be more damaging to take a specific powerful axe and drop it at level 2. That would say to the player, "You'd better spec into axes or miss out!" Keep in mind that some items should be placed for the first time above their SL to give item distribution a natural, sporatic feel.
The SL listed for armor sets tend to be very similar if not the same for all items in the set. That is because their SL is based mostly on the strength of their stats, which are often identicle! But in the main LoG game you'll find the items for a set are found strewn throughout many dungeon levels. It's basically bad design to place all the items for a set on the same level. The dungeon should feel more "organic" by having upgrades come sporatically. The important thing is to not leave any champion's specialty high-and-dry for too long. See the Slots-Builds tab for how the main LoG game distributes item upgrades!
Well that's the gist of it. Please let me know if I've made some mistakes with the hard data, and offer insights to improve the SL ratings. And of course feel free to split your own definitions off if you don't like the way I've compiled them!
I almost didn't implement it because I thought it was too silly.
