[BUG] Inconsistent Notable Level

from Elemental Forums

This bug creates a situation where quest locations do not properly recognize the player's current notables level. This can create a situation where some quest locations are accessible while others that should, are not. An example is provided in the following two screenshots:

Proper Notable Level

Proper Notable Level/Accessible: In the above image, the ancient ruins are shown reporting the correct adventurer/notable level of 3. 

Improper Notable Level

Improper Notable Level/Inaccessible: Checking the treasure chest just below the accessible ancient ruins reveals that the player's notable level is purportedly two, instead of the correct value of three. This is not merely a display error--attempting to access it results in failure.

Also of note is that, at least in this example, when I attempted to access the ancient ruins I was able to do so. Immediately after doing so, however, the game crashed. Reloading the game from the auto-save made on the turn before resulted in a new array of quest locations, map wide. All of those resulting and different quest locations also reported the wrong notable level (i.e., 2 instead of 3), and were inaccessible when they should have been.

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Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Quest location does not equal your notable location level. They are different.

In general the game distinguishes four adventure related levels. And those again for your faction and the world in general.

Basically its monster & heroes level, quest level, notable location (or goodie huts) level and hidden resource level. The world level is thereby seemingly always the highest level across all the factions.

The mentioned individual levels are thereby increased researching particular branches in the adventure tech research tree. For the kingdoms there seem to be e.g. three path in the adventure tech research ... and although I don't remember the actual names, their order seems to constant. So let's just call them No.1-3

  • No.1 - This seems to be the Heroes and Monster level branch. Researching it increases the level of spawning monster and champions for hire. If you don't like a dragon in your backyard beware of this branch.
  • No.2 - Quests and goodie huts are here. They rotate. Researching it the first time increases your quest level, the next time the notable location level, then again questing ... you get the point. The text and name of the respective tech mostly gives a hint on which of the one of the two levels will increase.
  • No.3 - Secret resources. Not 100% sure to the effect myself. One at least reveals orchards and/or bee hives. The shard spawning during the game could also be related to this. As might the appearance of other resources. Odd things is, that everybody seems to profit from researching into this branch. Not just the one actually researching it.

 

I hope this is more or less correct and answers your question. As for the Empire tech tree? No idea. Haven't touched the dark side yet.

Rabenhoff

 

PS Copied from various scatterd posts I made on this subject today. So, if something seems familiar ... sue me. *evil grin*

 

EDIT: As to the reload issue. Did you resarch a tech in the adventure three that turn that revealed thos level three locations? In general I'm not sure why the locations differed. I always assumed they were fixed for a map. But if they do, then the research in that turn might at least explain the changed locations. As for the levels ... see above.

 

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Oh, and before I forget it ... and a new post, because it seems important enough for me. At least enough to not put it just into an edit.

If someone from the developers etc. happens to stumble over this thread ... could one of you post a sticky on the forum explaining this whole adventure level business? What is what? How to raise it? And etc. etc.

Questions on this topic seem to appear again and again. And as much as I love this game, yet the explanations it provides on this issue are severely lacking and non-intuitive. At least in my opinion.

 

Rabenhoff

Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Certain technologies in the "adventuring" category increase your notable level.  Unfortunately I never saw a clear indication of which ones actually raised it at the middle levels.

Also, the info pop-up you get when you can't access a notable location is cut off for me right where it is about to explain how to raise it.  I've mostly figured it out, but that was VERY frustrating at first.  It was like "You can raise your level by" followed by the end of the text box.  It was like the game was saying "Well I know how you could do it, but I wouldn't have any fun if I told you now would I?"

Odd things is, that everybody seems to profit from researching into this branch. Not just the one actually researching it.

Some of the time yes- but even if the new resources appear, they will often have to research the tech to actually use them.  There are obvious exceptions to this though; when additional shards or basic resources appear it does seem a little like you just did work for everyone else across the map too.  At least the advanced minerals require you have the tech to build on them though.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Yes, unfortunately no clear indication. Rather some description like "new tasks for the starving adventurer" or "new treasures with even shinier traps". Lets you guess at what will be changed, but stating it flat out would have been helpul. Like a combination of flavour text and hard facts. Like:

 

Incredibly funny tech name

Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text Funny nonsensical text

+ one faction quest level and reveals level x quest locations

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Yes, well we might consider the bug to be NO DOCUMENTATION. Haha. Seriously though, the Bermuda Triangle is less mysterious than this game at times. I guess I'm off to inspect the XML files so I can try to mentally sort out the "Adventurer" tech side of things a bit better. Frustrating. *Shrugs*

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Was my explanation in the initial reply not sufficient?

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

You should ask them to give you a job as a technical writer.  That's the most useful explanation of those techs I've seen between this site and in-game.

I have a feeling whoever was writing the in-game descriptions and tool tips initially may have had a lot more to write than on previous projects.  If it's the same person or team from GalCiv then I'm sure they're more than capable.  Heck, the hints that popped up on loading screens in THAT game taught me more about the game and taught it to me faster than most tutorials ever have.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting jhwisner, reply 8
You should ask them to give you a job as a technical writer.  That's the most useful explanation of those techs I've seen between this site and in-game.
End of jhwisner's quote

Believe it or not I've done work as a technical writer, off and on, for about fifteen years. Go figure! Heck, I'd even work on the cheap to properly document Elemental. Seriously! :P

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Well I figured you were either a professional or amateur obsessive-compulsive when I saw the nice job on the color coding.  I mean that's how my aunt always referred to herself when she worked as a technical writer- a professional obsessive-compulsive.   I guess you could also consider yourself a free-lance obsessive-compulsive if you're offering to document and color-code as contract work.  Right now you're doing it for free.. so... philanthropic obsessive compulsive maybe?