Bug while being stunned?

[lilyrei]

Hi all - first time posting here, so I don't know where I should put this. I'm playing the Mac Steam version but not sure if it's a Mac-only bug.

I'm fighting a Goliath Borehead, and I opened up my inventory to swap from a bow to a close-combat weapon (and swap the related amulets.) After equipping an item, with the inventory and paper-doll windows open, I was stunned by the Borehead and found myself stuck with the un-equipped item in midair. Apparently even though un-equipping items doesn't take up a turn, I can't put it back in my inventory while stunned, or re-equip it or close any windows.

Not a huge problem, but it took me until the second time it happened to realize I could still skip turns by pressing space bar until the stun went away, after which the game went back to normal.

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere too

[KillingMoon]

It's a bit strange when this happens, and I was afraid of losing that item floating in midair, but it can just be put where you wanted to put it when the stun effect is over.
I believe I have always been able to close windows while being stunned, and even switching between different combat modes.

But it's normal gameplay, I think. You shouldn't be able to switch gear while being stunned. Although, yeah, if you just want to put something back in your inventory, it would have been handy if that would have been possible, although a bit more programming would possibly have been needed then; your equipment window should become off limits when stunned, while your inventory should remain accessible.
But the way it is now still works fine for me though, although it takes a few times to get used to it.

[Evnissyen]

Hmm... While switching gear always takes one turn (realistically, it should take up several turns) it ought to be the same while moving items between equipped and inventoried stats. Essentially it's the same.

(And KM: As for arranging inventory while stunned... well.. you're stunned. You can't move. Why should you be able to manipulate your inventory in that state?)

(Also, realistically: you shouldn't be able to arrange your inventory, either, without taking up a turn.)

But, still, Lilrei... you made the swap move first and the worm's subsequent move was a stun: so you should've switched all your gear at this point. This is definitely bug-like in character.

The only thing I'm really mystified about: why would you switch from a ranged weapon to a melee weapon, with such a creature? It can't stun you outside a certain range, after all.

Maybe you meant the other way around?

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Hmm... While switching gear always takes one turn (realistically, it should take up several turns) it ought to be the same while moving items between equipped and inventoried stats. Essentially it's the same.

(And KM: As for arranging inventory while stunned... well.. you're stunned. You can't move. Why should you be able to manipulate your inventory in that state?)

(Also, realistically: you shouldn't be able to arrange your inventory, either, without taking up a turn.)

But, still, Lilrei... you made the swap move first and the worm's subsequent move was a stun: so you should've switched all your gear at this point. This is definitely bug-like in character.

The only thing I'm really mystified about: why would you switch from a ranged weapon to a melee weapon, with such a creature? It can't stun you outside a certain range, after all.

Maybe you meant the other way around?

Actually, switching gear takes one turn per item.

If you don't want to experience the stun problem, take off the bow first, as the turn is counted when the new item is placed in your equipped items page. If you get stunned at that point, you can do nothing (and if you were in Parry mode, you will be switched out of it to Normal mode).

Oh, and Evnissyen, they're not worms. You'll love the Boreheads. They are one of BW's coolest looking monsters. I'll give you a hint, though, that you don't want to spend much time in the open when you get to them. Choke points are a wonderful thing for a Ranger.

[Evnissyen]

Hmm... I appear to have a bugged version, then. Perhaps I should update to 1.04 . . . I'm using 1.03.

The event window tells me "Swap takes 3 turns", yet in actual gameplay it takes precisely 1 turn.

As for my calling them worms... my mistake. Bad memory. I just opened a saved game and -- you're right. They're not worms at all! Totally different species.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Hmm... I appear to have a bugged version, then. Perhaps I should update to 1.04 . . . I'm using 1.03.

The event window tells me "Swap takes 3 turns", yet in actual gameplay it takes precisely 1 turn.

It appears to take one turn because you're not, at that moment, on screen with an active enemy. Try that same swap when a red wolf is two squares away and charging and you'll see that three turns really do pass (also easy to see with a character with high mana or HP regen--and you don't get bitten).

[Evnissyen]

That's what I'm talking about. I went to the borehead save . . . the borehead moved precisely one space even though the event window told me I took up 3 turns.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Boreheads are slow. If they don't stun you, you can run around and around them.

[Evnissyen]

True... .

In fact, I just tried it against a dragonel, and yes: it moved 3 spaces while I was switching my equipment.

So, turns out you're right.

[lilyrei]

Well, I just tested it again and I can apparently close the windows this time even with an item in midair - so I don't know what happened last night, maybe my computer was glitching. O.o

But, still, Lilrei... you made the swap move first and the worm's subsequent move was a stun: so you should've switched all your gear at this point. This is definitely bug-like in character.

I should clarify that I wasn't using the preset equipment configurations (which I hadn't set up or even tried until just a few minutes ago), but swapping items manually.

The strange part about it to me was that since placing an un-equipped item back in your inventory doesn't take up a turn, whether you're stunned or not shouldn't make a difference. From a roleplaying point of view it of course makes sense, just not with the game mechanics.

I also just discovered that if I die with an item in midair, it's still there when the death screen comes up, but combat doesn't matter by then so that's more funny than anything else. "Noooo, I can't die yet! I just need to put my bow back first!"

The only thing I'm really mystified about: why would you switch from a ranged weapon to a melee weapon, with such a creature? It can't stun you outside a certain range, after all.

Maybe you meant the other way around?

I trained in bludgeoning as a primary skill and only started developing bow skill later, plus I keep running out of arrows. So usually my strategy is to fire off some arrows to soften an enemy up, switch gear when it gets close, and then finish the job by bludgeoning it to death.

[Painted Lady]

Have you found the person who trains Bow skills yet? There are dozens of arrows around there for you to pick up for free.

[KillingMoon]

Oh, and Evnissyen, they're not worms. You'll love the Boreheads. They are one of BW's coolest looking monsters. I'll give you a hint, though, that you don't want to spend much time in the open when you get to them. Choke points are a wonderful thing for a Ranger.

These creatures will probably more difficult for a ranger than for a melee fighter. As a melee fighter, I deliberately positioned myself out in the open, holding up a big banner, reading 'PLEASE STUN ME!' Keeping a distance of about 4 tiles to them means the stun effect is over by the time they reach me.

(And KM: As for arranging inventory while stunned... well.. you're stunned. You can't move. Why should you be able to manipulate your inventory in that state?)

To get of that awkward effect of having an item in midair - the item that you just took off and wanted to put back in your inventory. For gameplay it doesn't matter anyway; the swap was already done.
The solution is probably what Kreador Freeaxe wrote: undo your old item first before putting on the new one - I've always been swapping the other way around, as putting on the new item first is quicker.

[Unbeliever]

Actually... I never wanted to mention this, because it's a bug I *LIKE*... but in my experience, I can quick-swap weapons and armor while stunned by a Borehead, no problem.

I can't MOVE or ATTACK... but I can consistently swap out my armor/weapon set so I'm ready for melee once the stun wears off...

(I'm running v1.03 under Win7.)

Oh, and a note to BW for Book 3: *PLEASE* give us more quick-swap slots, and a separate inventory page for swapped items so they don't clutter the regular inventory with each swap...

[Evnissyen]

These creatures will probably more difficult for a ranger than for a melee fighter. As a melee fighter, I deliberately positioned myself out in the open, holding up a big banner, reading 'PLEASE STUN ME!' Keeping a distance of about 4 tiles to them means the stun effect is over by the time they reach me.

I don't know how a melee fighter fairs against a borehead once unstunned, but I can tell you that for a Ranger with Skill Focus and combat mode set to Power, it's not very difficult at all, it only takes two shots . . . and this is easy to accomplish since they move so slowly.

With Finesse mode activated: little damage is delivered, so it takes a lot of arrows, but again: you don't need Finesse mode since all you have to do is hit the beetle with Power and Focus, which drains it of most of its HP, and then wait for Focus to return and hit it again.

Certainly, of course, it depends on the level you are and how many points you invest in Dex & Bows. (39 & 23, when I confronted them, way back at level 9.)

EDIT: Oh, and 20 Concentration. I haven't raised that attribute a single point since I started the game.

[Rowanas]

To answer your thought, Evnissyen, melee fighters fair very poorly against Boreheads at low levels, but then something just snaps at some point between levels 10-12 and you become a Borehead killing machine.