No level for unknown items

[alterecco]

Perhaps unknown items should not show a level in dockscreens. As it is now, levels go up or down when an item are identified (which is slightly weird imo)

In addition it makes sense to me that if you do not know what an item is, then you should have no clue what level it is.

Perhaps this should also extend to other attributes, such as price and random naming.

One of the primary methods of cirumventing the unknown item problem is knowing what level, price, names and weight items have in their unidentified state. This would seriously hurt that trick

[Jeoshua]

Even if you can't tell what exactly it is, you can usually get an idea of how complicated, and therefore valuable, it might be. Even untrained. That's how I always saw the levels.

I think, if anything, too little information is being given out. I know that this game is based on Nethack in style, therefore things aren't identified. But I just can't see someone at a store NOT telling the customer what something is. Maybe the strengths of an item should be pre-identified when buying from a store. Not the weaknesses tho, as what good salesman would tell you what doesn't work right on something?

p.s. But your point might stand for alien devices.

[alterecco]

I guess what I am saying is that as it stands now things are 'pseudo unknown'. That is, any veteran player can tell with a high likelihood what an unidentified item is.

Perhaps that is ok, as it can be seen as a true reward for being a long-time player, but as a game mechanic it also leads to easy circumvention (just look up the xml or check the wiki).

I suppose it should either be made harder or easier? I would favour harder, as that would actually allow for a new mechanic dealing with identifying items to find a proper place in the game. If we go for easier, then identifying just becomes even less of an issue than it is now.

[Jeoshua]

I think items found outside of stores should be totally unidentified, so we agree there. And only partially identified when they are on sale. That being said, we really need something to identify items. I've been using the barcode scanner mod as a stopgap measure, but it's very unsatisfying. WE3 added an identify feature to the shopping lists, which I liked, but also made it so you have to pay money to find out which weapon you're buying, which I did not like so much.

[ThePrivateer]

I think items found outside of stores should be totally unidentified, so we agree there. And only partially identified when they are on sale.

^^ I agree with that.

Travelling around space, if you just randomly stumble upon a barrel in a dead ship, you have no idea what's in that.

In a store however, there would be a little sign saying what's in the barrel.

In the case of say armour, when you look at it in a ship, you have no idea how it will go up against other weapons, but in a store, the dealer is likely to point out all the good bits (the +modifiers,) but leave off the bad stuff (-Modifiers).

Rowena's weapons ROM should be far, far more common, to help the player identify weapons, as I really can't tell what level weapons do what anyway.

That's just my three unknown possibly valuable small virtual monetary units.

[Song]

Rowena's ROMs don't actually do anything these days.

[ThePrivateer]

Rowena's ROMs don't actually do anything these days.

What????? Are you telling me I've been spending hundreds of credits vainly looking for these ROMS in the misconceived hope that they would better my gaming experience?????

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*sobs quietly in the corner*

[Song]

Yup. They no longer appear in the game, and are worthless now.