SoA vs. ToB-only mod compatibility query

[Colonel Ives]

Topic Title is a mouthful, is it not? I'll try to be precise:

 

I dug out my old copy of SoA from my bowels of my desk to give it another spin. It must have been nearly five years (!) since I shelved it. Even then I remember the modding community was pretty expansive, with Kevin Dorner's fixpacks, Karzak's alternative scripts, and a bunch of other forgotten modders with their individual dump-directly-to-override tweaks. I think Kelsey was beta/ver.1 or the like and NPC mods were relatively rare.

 

So this past week I've been familiarizing myself with the mod upheavals since then. Gibberlings Three seems to be a pretty active and felicitous place, and I've downloaded several patches from here alone (Ver. 4 of the fixpack is a godsend).

 

To my inquiry: A number of NPC mods out there seem to have SoA-only content but nonetheless require ToB, to my consternation. Specifically the ones that interest me are Fade, Amber, Keto, Kityana which all conform to this.

 

They originate from different sites, but...Word has come to me of your actions. I see you modders as capable and headstrong, with the ability to handle what'ere is thrown at you.

 

Ahem. Are there any creative workarounds to this that any other players have found with their individual installations? Or must I resign myself to the ToB necesssity if I want to use said mods?

 

As an aside, I've been enjoying Auren Aseph so far; mad props to the designer. I enjoy her little asides in unlikely places/encounters, more than is the norm with NPC Mods out there.

[cmorgan]

I am not sure that Keto requires ToB; I am looking at the documentation right now, and it appears to be SoA only in both code and content.

 

In fact, you may want to recheck the documentation on all of these mods - many of them have SoA content for SoA, and then have additional content for ToB sections. Hold on a sec - I will go check...

 

Ahhh... yep - Keto has a problem with SoA only installs, and has not yet been updated.

 

http://forums.pocketplane.net/index.php/to....html#msg279865

 

gives a workaround and confirmation that things will go ok once you bring her into existence.

 

Checking the others...

 

OK, Yes, Amber also requires ToB, but because of scripting actions.

 

The BG2 Fixpack contains an element in Core fixes that adds most if not all ToB scripting actions to SoA.

Add Throne of Bhaal Scripting Abilities to Shadows of Amn Games

Several scripts and dialogues in Shadows of Amn use Throne of Bhaal scripting triggers and actions, and research has revealed that a number of ToB triggers and actions work in SoA-only games. This adds those additional ToB scripting options to SoA-only games, as they are needed for some of the later fixes. A very basic shoutids.ids file is added only if one is not already present. Baldurdash added some entries to spell.ids to allow for scripting of spells not previously possible. For continuity, the Fixpack adds these entries as well.

 

Files altered: action.ids, shoutids.ids, spell.ids, trigger.ids

 

EDIT: This unfortunately does not mean that a mod that requires ToB works on a Non-ToB install.

 

Better, safer answer - toss on ToB or grab a compilation DVD/set; you will probably be happier if you go ahead and do this. Plus, you have thousands of hours of gameplay at a reduced price - a better cost/entertainment ratio than any modern game out there, *especially* new MMORPGs

[Kulyok]

Xan, Kelsey, Banter Packs, Flirt Packs are all available for SoA only. Lots of other mods are - Fixpack, Tweak Pack, for example. You just have to ask... wait, you have. Well, there is your answer.

[CamDawg]

Add Throne of Bhaal Scripting Abilities to Shadows of Amn Games

Several scripts and dialogues in Shadows of Amn use Throne of Bhaal scripting triggers and actions, and research has revealed that a number of ToB triggers and actions work in SoA-only games. This adds those additional ToB scripting options to SoA-only games, as they are needed for some of the later fixes. A very basic shoutids.ids file is added only if one is not already present. Baldurdash added some entries to spell.ids to allow for scripting of spells not previously possible. For continuity, the Fixpack adds these entries as well.

 

Files altered: action.ids, shoutids.ids, spell.ids, trigger.ids

[/size]

 

This would take care of any problems in scripting - then it is just a matter of "did the modder use ToB resources too?"

Well, not really. While there's some stuff that can be added to SoA, there are significant omissions that simply don't work in SoA and can't be worked around. If it was as simple as this, knowing the authors of those mods, they'd already work on SoA-only games.

[cmorgan]

Blast. OK, I will edit my post above so I don't accidentally send people down the Road of Hard Knocks...

 

answer is,

 

No.

 

You have to install ToB!

[Colonel Ives]

Much as I anticipated, but I appreciate the replies nonetheless. Frankly I really don't like ToB (I borrowed a friend's copy for a brief run back-in-the-day) but I may hunt down a second-hand copy for the sake of taking advantage of the mods out there.

 

Amber & Fade won't install (post-fixpack) outright, FWIW. Kityana does, albeit with some errors in installation. She shows up in Umar Hills as documented however. I'll sign her on and see if there are any problems down the line in-game. Keto installs without a hitch, though as others have doubtless noticed, is absent from the Five Flagons. I tried CLUAConsole-ing her in ala CreateCreature("Keto08"), but it didn't work.

 

Thanks again for the info!

[Guest Guest_Amgot_*]

Keto installs without a hitch, though as others have doubtless noticed, is absent from the Five Flagons. I tried CLUAConsole-ing her in ala CreateCreature("Keto08"), but it didn't work.

 

Hmm weird, I remember that in my last SoA-only game, I CLUA-ed her in the Five Flagons and it worked perfectly. You should try again!

[Guest Guest]

I tried several times, including Five Flagons, making sure the command was case-sensitive with quotation marks and parentheses in the proper places, and it failed each time. All I got was "active stack" twice and some remark about "call not a function" or the like.

[Mike1072]

I tried several times, including Five Flagons, making sure the command was case-sensitive with quotation marks and parentheses in the proper places, and it failed each time. All I got was "active stack" twice and some remark about "call not a function" or the like.

Did you use CLUAConsole:CreateCreature("name") ?

 

What you're describing sounds like an error in the syntax of the command.

[Colonel Ives]

I did now and it worked like a charm. I was omitting the CLUAConsole part, assuming it was implied at the prompt. *sheepish* Keto has a great introduction & voice-acting, though her char-sheet makes Haer'Dalis look overpowered by comparision.