dog wrote:
And yes, monsters shell out more damage in InSaNe.
Do they? I hadn't really noticed, but then I'm usually at a higher level in a given area this time around than I was in my Evil game.
At any rate, they certainly do more overall damage in that they take longer to kill (having more HP) and so have more chances to hit you.
I stand by my original statement -- at least as of where I am now (leveling up to face the Spider Gundo) I think the biggest between Evil and Insane is the amount of patience Insane requires -- sometimes a considerable amount more than Evil, like when leveling up to face Zombom. You also need reasonable skill point and boss-bashing technique, of course.
I guess one thing that is different is that I think that pre-Velm it's a lot more important to keep track of your next source of healing potions in Insane -- because if you end up running out of potions in a tight corner, you're toast. For example, after fighting Ramtor at the end of Chapter 1, you have to go to Chapter 2, fight your way to the Leximp, and defeat the Leximp before you can buy any more healing potions. So if you start the chapter underleveled you're stuck trying to do serious leveling up against strong monsters with no new potions. Not fun. But if you gain a few more easy boring levels in Ramtors tower, then after defeating Ramtor in a cakewalk you can waltz straight through and kill the Leximp. So I guess in my Insane game I did think a lot more about how far I was from my nearest potions source, whether I could get there (backtracking if necessary) before running out, and whether there were any weaker healing potions I needed to stock up on that I wouldn't be able to get at the next potion shop over.
Boy, am I glad to have Velm and no more healing potions worries. Now I have to worry about damage, speed, and slow potions instead. :-)
Mind you, I've yet to take out the four Faeries. Once I've done that, I may change my tune about how difficult Insane actually is relative to Evil. :-)
Blah. I should go wipe out the Spider Grundo. I'm afraid the tedium has finally overwhelmed me -- I haven't played for days.