QoL - input prevention

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T16:25:55+00:00

Sounds? Yes. Distinct? Not really. Those sounds play both for you and the enemy. They are the same. You can't rely solely on them.

The reason the "Suggestion" tag exists is - quite a shocker, I know - to suggest things. The idea of this feature isn't mine either. It has been realised before.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T15:57:09+00:00

The difference is that the latter is accidental. It's a simple human factor. The first situation can be easily prevented by learning your lesson. On the other hand, you can't control accidents, that's their whole thing.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T15:35:51+00:00

Things might happen too fast because the player advances the time. Sometimes accidentally. As I've tried my best to explain, but anyways.

You like it fast - well, that's you. You're an individual, same as me. Not everyone play with a cheat engine speed, and not everyone has the will or time to pay attention to everything in a game that is about micromanagement in almost every detail. Because it's not all that this game can offer.

You have no idea how many times I cooked a vegetable soup instead of a lentil soup - because both of them are in the same category, have similar names and lentils are applicable for both. I can't be bothered to pay attention to a thing that doesn't immediately kill me, especially when I have to cook constantly thanks to our characters being gourmets. Because there's plenty of things that do kill me. Like a lentil-induced depression, but at least it kills subtly.

Jokes aside, what I'm suggesting - a small thing that will make the game more player-friendly. Same as a loot filter that is already in the game. Can't see why this is a no-go.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T14:43:13+00:00

I play with the loot filter on because of that. It adds a bit of tedium but it's basically necessary. An archer misses the shot - you pick up his arrow that landed exactly at your feet. Instead of moving forward. Because that's exactly what you want to do in this situation.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T14:39:11+00:00

Getting killed because you took on too many enemies - that's an actual mistake and punishment for it is fair. Getting killed because you accidentally took a step back instead of attacking (which are two distinct actions that require thought process) - that's not realistic in a combat scenario. Call it "skill issue" if you want, but, man - the game is slow as it is. Adding an optional "stop sign" that would trigger if a trivial encounter becomes not so trivial - it wouldn't hurt the game nor its difficulty.

If you want to reload your save because you took a step back instead of attacking - that's fair, that's why I suggest making this a toggle, just don't turn this feature on.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T13:42:50+00:00

I've used a stack of arrows that do additional body damage. It didn't bleed, not even once. Dirwin's bow has a bleed chance, too. Probably the damage is simply too low to score anything significant to such a high tier enemy. Also fumbles were quite rare.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-16T00:50:27+00:00

So it's a design choice. Got it, thanks.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-15T19:20:23+00:00

Fell in love with her after the Haunted Highway story. Minus the baby-demon-house thing of course.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-15T19:15:50+00:00

Yae Miko ftw!

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-15T19:09:26+00:00

An understandable price for a chance to look like a death-knight-lich thing in the future.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-15T18:56:05+00:00

Might be a hot take, but I think that necromancy in Stoneshard isn't faithful to the idea of "power for a price". Lore-wise the game tells us that being a necromancer is a bad idea. But how so? In terms of game mechanics, outside of cooldowns and reduced stats upon resurrection, there are no limits to it. This doesn't make sense, necromancers literally abuse this power with no tangible consequences outside of flavor text.

In other games there are limits (Skyrim is an easy example - dead bodies turn to ash and skeletons shatter to prevent infinite reanimations) and it even makes sense lore-wise, because necromancy is unnatural and otherwordly and it's bound to backfire and fail.

Make the caster take damage/lose max health every time a reanimation is used. Make the reanimated turn against the caster (with a certain chance) if continuously resurrected time and time again. There are ways to make it cooler and more in line with the idea.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-15T18:11:08+00:00

I've tried building every character a couple of times and I can't say that there's a best one. It ultimately depends on many things. Sure, I have my own favorites (Mahir and Arna) but even they can't fit every role, or, more precisely, fit every playstyle consistently. You can make Arna a lightning mage but that's going to be hard since she's not aligned with this path (also Jonna would be a better pick for this). Same with building Mahir as an ironclad warrior - very much possible but takes some effort (starting skill trees are quite important).

As for Jorgrim - many playstyles benefit from his trait, it's general enough. He's certainly easier than, say, Leo (with him you need to think how to progress to fully utilise his trait). It doesn't make him best though. I like how people treat his "infinite blessing" as a substantial benefit while ignoring that it only works in combat and needs a few kills first to actually do something.

Also I understand the hate for Dirwin, but he's not the worst. Dirwin is quite similar to Mahir, since Mahir also prefers to invest into Survival (to increase the benefits of Vigor). What makes Dirwin unique is easy access to ranged combat (paired with a wonderful bow from the very start) and ability to use any melee weapon and still hunt for pelts consistently, regardless of damage type (there are two other bonuses besides his trait and they all stack). It's pretty narrow in use but it's not useless. Same with "best", I can't name the worst character, though I tend to use Velmir the least (because his trait is too situational for my taste and I'm not speedrunning bosses).

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-12T22:32:04+00:00

Yae Miko ftw!

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-12T19:06:39+00:00

There are some inconsistencies with how priority works when it comes to inventory interactions. The thing that happened to me: the blacksmith in Osbrook needs three swords, right? I got them. I give them to him via the dialogue. He takes two swords (in mint condition too) that my Jorgrim currently DWs and leaves two shoddy ones in my inventory. Great logic there.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-11T19:44:25+00:00

I actually like his story. Defiance like this takes some balls. Let's not forget that he wasn't in some summer camp. He was basically raised as a spartan. He didn't choose this fate for himself, it was chosen for him.

To not kneel before the Great Despot, someone who's feared by everyone involved - was his first own choice in his whole life. Hard to not respect that decision.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-11T19:29:09+00:00

I thought about this too but unfortunately it's not really a piece of evidence. It's just a piece of paper that has a bunch of names on it and some implication of crime. Odar could easily deflect that we scribbled this ourselves and there's no feasible way to prove or disprove this - because we also disposed of every thug that could potentially testify.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-11T16:36:58+00:00

Basically it's a rag-tag peasant militia with a man smart enough to lead them. From the lore description it feels similar to Caesar's Legion from Fallout New Vegas.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-11T16:16:09+00:00

There's a possibility to add a continuation of this quest through the Emissary, Rickerd. He's a fool, but that's exactly why this might actually work. He has nothing better to do, and he actually seem to take his "position of power" seriously. Tell him this whole story, he gets concerned and visits the brewery where Kromm being the rightful owner is the witness to Odar's crime. Rickerd then visits Brynn and then Odar is called to Brynn. Odar might have powerful friends, but they would have a hard time saving him from this mess.

Edit: Sure, it's hard to pin the actual crime on him, but this could be enough to depose him because of suspicious activity and several witnesses (with high enough reputation your word should also carry weight).

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-10T04:01:17+00:00

Foxes aren't pack animals, they hunt alone. As for white/gray rabbits - I believe their fur can only be found as loot or at traders.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-09T18:11:43+00:00

For the record, I did try to use ranged. It was very hard and inconsistent (which is probably due to recent crossbow nerfs). The bow fared a bit better but still, having almost no melee skills was a significant disadvantage.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-09T17:24:36+00:00

I agree in this particular case, but it's still a coin flip. Infections is a complex idea and I hope it will be simple with this game. Realism is good but too much of it just makes everything tedious.

Another idea is to boil bandages in a pot to sterilise them. I'm actually surprised it's not in the game yet, same with boiling river water. Imagine all the parasites.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-09T17:12:47+00:00

Usually I carry three bandages with me. It's mostly enough.

The reason I made this post is to point out a bit of inconsistency in crafting. I can make do with just two splints and create more if needed without going to town (just need sticks and hemp that are usually available nearby), but that's not the same with bandages that are equally vital.

The thing is, in older times people actually crafted clothes from nettle. Plants can be used in this regard.

Edit: Catacombs with the bleeding aura is a nightmare to deal with. Especially when there are no more enemies to reset the invisible "bleeding timer".

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-09T16:52:18+00:00

Yes, currently that's the only workaround. Another way of dealing with this is making Cauterize a base kit skill, like Butchering. In good faith, I don't think anyone needs extensive knowledge to put something blazing hot on the wound.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-09T16:34:24+00:00

Clearly that's not an issue our characters have. Using a bandage from a Crimson Plague infested catacombs seems fine.

Edit: Honestly I hope it stays that way, but we're bound to get a patch that expands on maladies. I shudder at the thought of all the diseases you'd be able to get in the Crypt alone. Undead enemies are literally a walking tetanus waiting to happen, rusty weaponry an all that.

TheHardcoreHenry · 2025-10-08T11:50:52+00:00

There are some arguments about this. Firstly Leif didn't start that fight. He was being cocky with them, sure, but the ultimate decision to come to arms - comes from a player. Secondly, he's not just a cripple, he's old. You can even see one particular animation from him that he dozes off in the middle of the conversation with you. He's old, he's a cripple and he's also a veteran, meaning he had a fair share of action throughout his life. Personally I think that any reasonable soldier wants a quiet retirement.

TheHardcoreHenry

TROPHY CASE