User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions
It appears to me that Hard Mode was implemented with some design restraints. Namely, the creature group makeup from Normal Mode to Hard Mode. So if you run outside an Outpost and there is a group of three Fire Imps, that is what there will be in Hard Mode.
My main disappointment with Hard Mode was that for the most part it was only numerically harder. The enemies had more life, more energy, more energy regeneration, faster movement speed, faster attack speed, faster cast time, and faster recharge time.
I had guessed that the level of the enemies would be raised and their skills/attributes adjusted, but I did not think that the main crux of Hard Mode's difficulty would be cheating.
My main changes would be in the form of giving creatures a nicely balanced array of eight skills, instead of the normal four. There are two things that are obvious to me. One, it seems that there is a design goal (possibly technology limited, possibly code limited) in keeping most creatures to using only four skills. Two, it is apparent that the AI is good enough to theoretically handle eight separate skills due to the implementation of Heroes.
However, to balance the difficulty I would take away (at least in initial testing) all of the creature cheats that Hard Mode has implemented. This is not to say that we won't have level 26+ creatures. Just if a creature wants to have IAS it will need a skill for it. I would also make it so that resurrected creatures count for at least a portion of another kill in terms of experience and other points.
A legend is as follows:
[Creature Name]
[Old and Busted Hard Mode Stats]
[New Hotness Hard Mode Stats]
Note: the skill placement will usually be placed similarly to Heroes in that skills on the left gain priority over skill on the right unless otherwise noted.
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/Ascalon
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/NorthernShiverpeaks
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/Kryta
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/MaguumaJungle
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/CrystalDesert
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/SouthernShiverpeaks
User:Ravious/HardModeSuggestions/RingofFireIslands
