The main issue was a combo of not enough items in the shops and the fact that I wasn't allowing items higher than level 3, I have changed both things and everything seems fine now

http://i.imgur.com/RM90dTn.jpg" style="max-width:100%">

3 fine item in a row! this was a lucky roll, but now every category has at least 1 Fine item most of the times. The item in screenshot is level 3 but there are others level 4 and now will match more closer the party level

3 fine item in a row! this was a lucky roll, but now every category has at least 1 Fine item most of the times.

according to your program Shagala has a Fine shop and items of fine quality should be created in about half of the time

Yes right (I always forget some detail).

Did you only change the healer shop?

No the healer actually was like that even before.

I am adding more items to the vendors, but the random formula is the same, but since there are more items there are more chances to get a Fine item.

I'm uploading a new version now since there are also some bugfixes. The biggest change is that jewelry CAN have more resistances. But for act 1 things won't change much anyway. Is just the intro, as I said many times

I'm a kid in a candy store when I visit Shagala now, but the forge is worse. So many items I'm too low level to use. I thought the stores sensed the party's level and adjusted the inventory accordingly. I never saw level 5 items available to a level 3 party before.



Laroneas is worse because item levels, better because way more items. Much easier to get plate items before chapter 3 now.



I guess if they are staying at levels 4-5 throughout the chapter it's gonna be only better in the end.

Yesterday I played with the store restocker class in 0.8.7f and saw this, too - I believe only the Ratmen store is initialized correctly (item level == party level), the other shops are instantiated with a party level between 0 and 2 [0 is automagically upgraded to 1 for the item generator].

Level 4 doesn't take that long to reach though. This ain't what I've been advocating for 7 pages now but I guess more casino tables is sort of a solution too. Also, hat with +9 magic. I'm in love.



I'm finding better items than before and I'm finding them easier. I just wanted to find decent upgrades more often. I ain't complaining about my shopping experience but it's gonna make for more powerful parties than before. Balancing issues and all that...

my idea was along the lines: Generate one extra item, of the highest quality the shop permits (Shagala: "quality", the rest: "fine") for every category (weapon, armour, jewelery). my patched/hacked generator worked nicely, with every restocking I had three highish quality items more - though at this point I realized the issue about the incorrectly leveled items: The shop refiller gave me the extra items, but only low level one's; with the exception of the ratmen shop.

The latest build has items same level and even ONE LEVEL HIGHER than your party so I think should be good now.

Sounds great - the leveling of items should be enough to enable more often real upgrade options. I will report in due course

I think you're breaking what game balance you've achieved and should leave item maxing to obsessive/compulsive people. Easy, early access to "good stuff" means balancing the game all over again, and the balance will get worse and worse because the only people testing are people who've completed it so many times that they make extremely informed choices.



I seriously think it's time to focus on Act II and stop rebalancing Act I.

I agree and I don't. I think it should have been like this from square one and then balanced around it. I am not gonna take blame for this though, I wanted to find the items I was rerolling manically for previously easier, now I can find better items without even rerolling



But act one being too easy is not really a concern right now. Think of all the changes to the combat systems that are probably ahead of us in efforts to balance future acts. They might make act one harder again. Or easier. Better to just finish the game and then go back. But until then it needs to be beatable so we can try new party builds, so better that it's too easy than too hard.



You could even say that's an argument for ignoring balance altogether until act four is out o.o

I seriously think it's time to focus on Act II and stop rebalancing Act I.

Don't worry I'm doing it indeed, the latest updates were bugfixes, and in this case the only thing I changed is having "higher level" items, and a higher quantity amount (9 items instead of 6 in each shop minimum). The difficulty should be the same, is true that now you can get more powerful items, but with the resistances now working as they should some battles should be harder.

If I hadn't done other fixes like the magicbolt, resistances, etc I wouldn't have even updated it I also changed the jewelry, so seemed fair to let them get the "right" version (with some items that CAN have more than 1 resistance).

Unless people find serious bug I won't touch this anymore until I'm done with Act 2. Finishing the game is my priority too! In Act 2 I don't plan to tweak anything if not the specific battles themselves and of course bugs, but not rules.