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[Paul]

I just realized the skill bonus you get from stats in GH2 is different from GH1.

In GH1 its: (attribute + 2)/3

In GH2 its (attribute +1)/2

So in GH1 you want numbers like 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, etc.

Yet in GH2 you just want an odd number - so 10 gives the same bonus as 9.

Although it varies based on the application. Charm affects the reaction modifier for every single point you add to it. Ego gives you 1 point of free cyberware trauma for every 4 points. Knowledge gives an extra skill slot for every 5 points.


I also notice that, even though you only have one skill, you still use perception on ranged weapons over DC10 and missiles. You also use body stat for unarmed attacks and on melee weapons over DC10, so if you're going to use a big melee weapon - even in a mecha - you need a good body stat.

It also looks like Knowledge is used for the salvage rolls along with repair, even though I always thought Craft was always used with repair. Weird. Craft seems to be used for regular repair rolls though. And Spot Weakness doesn't seem to add any stat, it just takes your skill value in it.

All the stats are really useful though. Reflexes is needed for mecha piloting and guns DC10 or below; speed is needed for initiative, blocking with shields, and personal scale dodging (or acrobatics in mecha scale if you have the talent and a reflex system); perception is needed for sight radius, missiles, and DC10+ ranged weapons; body is needed for personal scale HP, unarmed melee, and melee over DC10; craft is needed for electronic warfare; ego is needed for cyberware and intimidation rolls; knowledge is needed for salvage rolls, mecha engineering, and total skill slots; and charm is needed for the reaction modifier, getting rumors, and general conversation/shopping/performance.


Plus with the way you only get 20 stat points total instead of 9 or so in every stat (GH1), it really makes the stat system more complex and meaningful.

I'm really liking the GH2 mechanics so far. I'm curious to see what all he changes with his next update, I seem to recall reading about major balance changes.

[beorn080]

Shift + R lets you see rolls, so you can see what stat affects what at which times. I think Craft is used for Spot Weakness, but can't recall.

Personally, I see ego as being one of the biggest stats you need. Intimidation can effectively kill a mecha 5-6 shots before it would otherwise die, plus you get the mecha and can get tasty repair xp fixing it up. Plus, it helps on a variety of other skill rolls and in getting missions and rumors.

[Paul]

Yea, I know about Shift R. I was just looking through the source. Further investigation reveals that craft affects the critical roll using spot weakness, but not the damage added portion of spot weakness. So craft does help score criticals (which is good for extra penetration), it just isn't added to damage on noncriticals.


The area where it calls up Spot Weakness to add damage only checks the skill rank for spot weakness.

If you have the sniper talent AND it's a ballistic or beamgun weapon (basically any of the ranged non-melee attacks other than missiles) it takes your spot weakness and straight up adds it.

If it's a melee weapon (either energy or normal) it takes your spot weakness divided by 2 and adds it.

For everything else, it takes your spot weakness divided by 5 and adds it.

It doesn't even have a check for BV, so sniper actually works on BV weapons.


So basically if its a melee weapon sniper doesn't matter, it just uses your spot weakness divided by 2 regardless. If it's a missile it doesn't matter and just takes spot weakness divided by 5. If its a gun (beam or ballistic) it takes spot weakness divided by 5 normally, or just straight up spot weakness if you have sniper. So what sniper does is massively multiply the effects of the spot weakness damage bonus for guns.



As far as ego, I never really got enough ejections on my high ego char to make much of a difference. Even with 10 intimidation and 17 ego I could sit there and shoot both arms and both legs and the head off a mech I was trying to capture and still have them refuse to eject even though the torso is about 2 damage points from exploding. It is helpful for capturing mecha, but I find just having high knowledge and a really good repair skill to get me plenty of salvaged mecha.

And if your goal is just to end the battle quicker, blasting them to shreds with a powerful shot right to the torso is usually much faster than any ejection roll. And having a high reflex (or perception, depending on what gun you're using) makes that shot much more damaging and accurate.

I personally rank ego as one of the lower stats. Reflex and Speed are both of prime importance. Knowledge, perception, body, and craft are secondary depending on what you want to do with the char (if you want to use big guns, you want perception - if you want to use big melee weapons, you want body - craft is good if you tend to rely on ECM - and I always like knowledge because it helps with mecha engineering and the salvage roll to save destroyed robots at the end of battle). Then charm and ego are handy to have, but not that important. And I generally find charm to be more useful than ego just for the ease of getting rumors and lower shop prices.

But the fact we have different opinions on ego is what makes the system good - different play styles and all.

[Bouchart]

I ran into a trainer.  I could train Athletics, Concentration or Vitality.  I know they were skills in GH1 but are they in GH2?  I haven't been able to learn them.

[Il Palazzo]

They're hidden, but still there. You can only train these by practicing(i.e.losing and regaining HP,SP & MP), or visiting the gym - as you just have.

[Ale and Axes]

They're skills but not ones that are raisable through paying experience points. You can only raise them through use, they're passive skills that are used indirectly, or you can pay to raise them with a trainer like the one you found.

Athletics affects Stamina points, Vitality affects Health points and Concentration affects Mental points. Athletics is the most useful to train and I always spend a good amount to get loads of Stamina points. Health is also handy for the personal scale combat. Mental points are quite useful too but less so (that's quite character build dependant so YMMV).


BTW, rootin' for Pixie > Savin 

[Bouchart]

Ok so they are implemented.  I was wondering if they were just artifacts from GH1.

[Grimshot]

Anyone have any advice for managing your lancemates? I have one that came with 9 in all combat skills, 10 in spot weakness and a Vadel. I can't remember what his stats were but they were solid, so I figured he would kick some ass, but instead he just runs into the enemy mechs and gets blown to bits.

Also, is there anyway to rename your lancemate? I'm thinking of naming him Leeroy Jenkins.

[a1s]

I've just had the most bad-ass fight- I'm playing GH1, and lost my mech (and my reputation, this one is Wangta, and not "slightly"), however I ran into a scripted fight, and rather than flee and find a mech, decided to fight them in personal scale. This character is supposed to be a martial artist type, so he doesn't even have weapons. So imagine 1 person taking on 2 50-tonne machines with nothing but his fists... and winning! Got over 5k XP for that one.

Also, is there something like Shift-R in GH1? That specific combination of keys just recenters my screen.

[Bouchart]

I've just had the most bad-ass fight- I'm playing GH1, and lost my mech (and my reputation, this one is Wangta, and not "slightly"), however I ran into a scripted fight, and rather than flee and find a mech, decided to fight them in personal scale. This character is supposed to be a martial artist type, so he doesn't even have weapons. So imagine 1 person taking on 2 50-tonne machines with nothing but his fists... and winning! Got over 5k XP for that one.

In GH1 I liked to level up my stats a bit, and martial arts, and then take that serum that increases your reflex, speed and body stats at the expense of all of your others.  I'd then smash mecha to bits in personal combat with no weapons or armor.  Great way to build XP.

[beorn080]

There is a post on the GH forums of a man completing Gear head one on foot, solo, in one attack.

[Bouchart]

Anyone have any advice for managing your lancemates? I have one that came with 9 in all combat skills, 10 in spot weakness and a Vadel. I can't remember what his stats were but they were solid, so I figured he would kick some ass, but instead he just runs into the enemy mechs and gets blown to bits.

Also, is there anyway to rename your lancemate? I'm thinking of naming him Leeroy Jenkins.

Set his combat preferences to "fight at a distance" rather than "get up close."

Also, check the Vadel's inventory.  Is it full of junk that is slowing it down?

Or maybe your renown is so high that random fights are very tough for ordinary lancemates.

[Ale and Axes]

If you fight in 'Tactics' mode you can control your lancemates directly.

[beorn080]

Tweak the Vadel itself, and don't give him blast weapons.

[Grimshot]

How do you use tactics mode? Also, how do you view how much renown you have?