Item Revisions Mod

[Salk]

I think that after the host's mantainance, several posts have been deleted. Also the functionality of the Forum seems to have worsened.

 

However, Demivrgvs, I wanted to ask you if you ever got around about getting permission and importing WoRm's ioun stones animations and Miloch's&C thrown hammers animations.

 

I'd be also curious to what extent you introduced 1PP's production modifications.

 

It's just the paperdolls or also all the rest (flaming swords, shields, quarterstaves, ecc. ecc.?)

[Demivrgvs]

However, Demivrgvs, I wanted to ask you if you ever got around about getting permission and importing WoRm's ioun stones animations and Miloch's&C thrown hammers animations.

Ioun stones are already implemented, and looks great, while I forgot about the throwing hammer animation. I'll ask both permissions asap, though the former probaly doesn't need it considering the author has abandoned the IE modding quite a few years ago.

 

I'd be also curious to what extent you introduced 1PP's production modifications.

 

It's just the paperdolls or also all the rest (flaming swords, shields, quarterstaves, ecc. ecc.?)

I've included paperdolls, shields (all of them: from bucklers to vanilla's fixed ones), flaming swords, helmets, bams, ... The only thing I didn't implemented are colorable quarterstaves.

[Salk]

Very good!

 

I even agree about not importing the colourable quarterstaves. Too bad we don't yet have BG1 animations for Medium and Large Shields but I trust in Erephine at SHS to one day produce these new jewels!

 

Still speaking of the Paperdolls, the only one I don't like (from 1PP) is the Half-Orc one. I actually like the BG2 version better (I don't know how you feel about it).

 

By the way, still about Thrown Hammers, do you think that the same animations could be used for your SR's Spiritual Hammer?

[Miloch]

I even agree about not importing the colourable quarterstaves. Too bad we don't yet have BG1 animations for Medium and Large Shields but I trust in Erephine at SHS to one day produce these new jewels!

 

Still speaking of the Paperdolls, the only one I don't like (from 1PP) is the Half-Orc one. I actually like the BG2 version better (I don't know how you feel about it).

I think modding paperdolls goes a bit beyond an item revision mod (though I don't know why colourable quarterstaves would).

By the way, still about Thrown Hammers, do you think that the same animations could be used for your SR's Spiritual Hammer?

Sam's the one who did the animations - I just wrote the code. And it's already going in a larger tweak mod that should be installed after overwriting mods, so it should patch any existing thrown hammers, as well as any versions of Spiritual Hammer installed. Seems a bit redundant to include it in another mod, especially since the code is still active (subject to updates).

[Demivrgvs]

I think modding paperdolls goes a bit beyond an item revision mod (though I don't know why colourable quarterstaves would).

Well, I'm not going to "mod" them, I've included 1PP in IR because it does seem approriate to me. It changes how the equipment looks, and I was going to work on colors adjustments anyway, thus working on it with 1PP seemed a nice solution.

Sam's the one who did the animations - I just wrote the code. And it's already going in a larger tweak mod that should be installed after overwriting mods, so it should patch any existing thrown hammers, as well as any versions of Spiritual Hammer installed. Seems a bit redundant to include it in another mod, especially since the code is still active (subject to updates).

If that's the author's decision is fine for me. I would have included it just to reduce the numeber of mods required during installation.

[Miloch]

If that's the author's decision is fine for me. I would have included it just to reduce the numeber of mods required during installation.

While in general I am for this (hence why it's going in a larger mod rather than just a v2 which would already be available), I am also for avoiding redundancy. It would also be difficult for you to include in a non-patching mod, since the projectiles are added dynamically via ADD_PROJECTILE. You would have to hard-code and overwrite projectl.ids and believe me, you don't want to do that (this was one of the problems with the old SpellPack).

 

(Sorry for talking about coding stuff in your thread btw .)

[Demivrgvs]

It would also be difficult for you to include in a non-patching mod, since the projectiles are added dynamically via ADD_PROJECTILE. You would have to hard-code and overwrite projectl.ids and believe me, you don't want to do that (this was one of the problems with the old SpellPack).

Both IR and SR already adds many new projectiles (e.g. Gesen Bow's Lightning Spears) dynamically via ADD_PROJECTILE!

 

(Sorry for talking about coding stuff in your thread btw .)

[Salk]

I like you both guys, you know that!

 

But the end of it is that I will have to install Thrown Hammers separately then?

[Miloch]

But the end of it is that I will have to install Thrown Hammers separately then?

Like I said, it's going in MixMod v6. There are benefits to installing it this way, because it'll patch all thrown hammers, including mod-added ones (and there are quite a few of these, depending on what you've got installed). If you install it via an overwriting mod, you have to install it early (or should anyway) and won't have that benefit.

 

I think DavidW made the anti-redundancy case most succinctly in this post, so I'm with him on that. However, if you want to use it, I'm not preventing you from doing so. Same goes for all my code - I'm not one of those modders who gets all "precious" about content with draconian "do not copy" notices all over it (plus as I said, I have no claims on this component anyhow). I would only ask you to a) get permission from Sam, b) use an ACTION_IF statement that will install it only if the animations aren't detected already, and c) use the same patching code rather than overwriting.

 

And this last bit is where you might run into difficulties, since I'm still working on the code . (To use "code-speak" again, I'm improving it to patch missile.ids and projectl.ids simultaneously based on a request from Galactygon for code he will also use in the next SpellPack.) Also, Thrown Hammers adds a few new (fairly low-powered) items, and makes some other general improvements to existing items (new BAMs for example). Would you be looking to add those too? If not, then there's another benefit to installing the separate tweak.

[Demivrgvs]

I would only ask you to a) get permission from Sam, b) use an ACTION_IF statement that will install it only if the animations aren't detected already, and c) use the same patching code rather than overwriting.

a) I would never include it without asking permission

b) sure, though I don't understand the problem in case SR or MixMod re-pache something that has been already tweaked . Is it because the code will create two different .pro files?

c) obviously

[Miloch]

I don't understand the problem in case SR or MixMod re-pache something that has been already tweaked . Is it because the code will create two different .pro files?

Yes, or at least multiple entries for the same thing in projectl.ids, which would be a Bad Thing (at any rate, ADD_PROJECTILE doesn't say it avoids this).

 

Also, if you're adding the new items, there will be redundancy there too unless you check whether they exist first already. You could simply use a REMOVE_STORE_ITEM first, but Thrown Hammers uses a randomising routine to place them at various stores based on what level you should find them at, so there's no telling exactly where they'll be.

 

(Edit: And really, it's more important for me to put these checks in rather than for you, since a player should install MixMod later if they're installing both mods, though the redundancy checks should be in both anyway. So thanks for making more work for me .)

[Bursk]

Regarding 1PP, I've only ever used v2, and used to install "Everything but Potions" but not "New Potion Graphics". I also understand that an improved non-wiffle animation for Spell Trap is installed by default. So, Demivrgvs, should I now not install any part of 1PP? Have you included the non-wiffle in IR or SR?

 

And can anyone answer my previous question: I'm sure I've seen it mentioned in the past that the archer-type characters are quite weak late on in BG2 + ToB, and was wondering if this was due to a lack of decent arrows. Would the quiver etc of plenty +3 solve this problem?

[Miloch]

Regarding 1PP, I've only ever used v2, and used to install "Everything but Potions" but not "New Potion Graphics".

Why not? The potion graphics are pretty good as I recall. The herbs were anyway. Hmm, herbs...

 

Btw, what's wrong with the colourable quarterstaves anyway?

 

Not sure about your other questions. I'm just a half-orc. I've seen this comment though and I suspect it's simply because a lot of later creatures have a high resistance to piercing and/or missile weapons. So your hot-shot elven archer could've emptied a few quivers at them while your halfling slinger could've taken them down with a coupla shots.

[Salk]

I'd suggest to not include Thrown Hammers' new items because that would be out of scope.

[Miloch]

I'd suggest to not include Thrown Hammers' new items because that would be out of scope.

Thanks! That makes things easier for me.

 

(I still don't understand what the 'scope' of this mod is, and how paperdolls and a visual tweak to hammers would fall within it, but a visual tweak to quarterstaves would not...)