BG2 spoiler - banter between Imoen and Gavin

[berelinde]

Imoen: Are you OK? You're looking a little down.

Gavin: Yes, just feeling a little sluggish. I haven't been getting enough exercise lately, and it's starting to make me feel lethargic.

Imoen: Wanna race?

Gavin: (if Gavin was with them in BG1) Oh! Looking for a chance to get even, are we? You remember last time, don't you? I beat you by a good two strides.

Imoen: (if Gavin was with them in BG1) Ha! Let's see you do it now!

Gavin: (if Gavin was with them in BG1) I couldn't! You remember how close it was, and that was when I was in top form. We exercised every day at the temple, but it's been sporadic at best for months. I'm ashamed of myself.

Imoen: (if Gavin was with them in BG1) What was stopping you? You weren't cooped up in a cell half of forever by some mad wizard.

Gavin: (if Gavin was with them in BG1) I'm sorry, Imoen... I... I failed both you and <CHARNAME>...

Imoen: (if Gavin was with them in BG1) No, Gavin! Don't blame yourself for that! You said you had to go away for a while. It was just bad luck we were captured while you were gone. And even <CHARNAME> couldn't help me in the Promenade.

Gavin: (if not) It would be no challenge. A year ago, maybe, while I was still at the Song of the Morning, I could have beaten you any day.

Imoen: (if not) Ha! Let's see you do it now!

Gavin: (if not) Not a chance! We exercised every day at the temple, but it's been sporadic at best for months. I'm ashamed of myself.

Imoen: (if not) What was stopping you? You weren't cooped up in a cell half of forever by some mad wizard.

Gavin: (if not) I'm sorry, Imoen... I... if I'd known you then, I would have done anything to prevent it, for both you and <CHARNAME>...

Imoen: (if not) Don't blame yourself for that! You hadn't met us yet. And even <CHARNAME> couldn't help me in the Promenade.

Gavin: On some level, I guess I know that, but when I think what he did to you that second time -

Imoen: Don't say it, Gavin. Just help me get my soul back.

Gavin: I... I will, Imoen.

[cmorgan]

cool - curious - what mechanism for determining BG1 status; dialogue -set choice? revisiting the possibility of carrying over locals? tp2 level install choice like the romance timers

 

READLN

1 = gavin was in BG1

2 = gavin was romanced in bg1

3 = gavin was not in bg1

 

If 1, OUTER_SPRINT ~GAVIN_STATUS~ ~SetGlobal("B!Gavinstatus","GLOBALS",1)

If 2, OUTER_SPRINT ~GAVIN_STATUS~ ~SetGlobal("B!Gavinstatus","GLOBALS",2)

If 3, OUTER_SPRINT ~GAVIN_STATUS~ ~SetGlobal("B!Gavinstatus","GLOBALS",3)

 

IF

!Exists("b!gavin2")

Global("b!gavinBG2spawned","GLOBAL",0)

THEN RESPONSE #100

CreateCreatureOffset

%GAVIN_STATUS%

SetGlobal("b!gavinBG2spawned","GLOBAL",1)

END

 

 

?

[berelinde]

I thought I might allow the player to indicate in the joining dialogue whether the PC knew him in BG1.

 

If the PC is female and met his BG1 romance requirements, I'll put the engagement ring in one of the early accessible rooms in Irenicus's dungeon. Picking it up starts an internal dialogue where the PC can recognize it as the engagement ring Gavin gave her, can recognize it as the engagement ring Gavin gave her and wonder what happened to the other ring she should have (if she was cruel to him in BG1), can recognize it as the engagement ring Gavin gave her and acknowlege the failure of the relationship (broken engagement in BG1), or can admit to never seeing it before. That establishes both a presence in BG1 and an engagement, active or broken for a PC who knows the ring, but doesn't establish a BG1 presence if she doesn't.

 

The joining dialogue offers a way to establish the nature of the relationship, although the committed relationship path won't be available for a male PC, or for a female PC who didn't meet his BG1 requirements, didn't recognize the ring, or installed the mod on a game in progress.

 

Here's the first state of the joining dialogue, to give you an idea:

IF ~NumTimesTalkedTo(0)~ THEN ~B!GAVIN~ GavPC0
SAY ~Lathander’s blessings upon you!~
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,0)~ + ~Gavin! At last I’ve found you!~ + GavPC0.1
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,1)~ + ~Gavin! At last I’ve found you!~ + GavPC0.2
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,0)~ + ~Who are you?~ + GavPC0.3
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,1)~ + ~Who are you?~ + GavPC0.4
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,0)~ + ~Where in the nine hells have you been?~ + GavPC0.5
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,1)~ + ~Where in the nine hells have you been?~ + GavPC0.6
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,0)~ + ~I was wondering if we’d ever see you again. ~ + GavPC0.7
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,1)~ + ~I was wondering if we’d ever see you again.~ + GavPC0.8
+ ~Global(“B!GavinEngagedâ€Â,â€ÂGLOBALâ€Â,1)~ + ~(You slap his face.)~ + GavPC0.9
END

[cmorgan]

Cool - much easier to troubleshoot, gives player choice, and doesn't rely on intall/uninstall to change course.

 

Item-dependent references and internal dialogue - great idea.

[Amaurea]

I can't wait for Gavin for BG2!

 

I like your ring idea a lot. If you use Dungeon-Be-Gone, will Jasper have the ring?

[berelinde]

No, I won't give Japer the ring.

 

Even if I were comfortable modding a mod, Jasper's tone is quite different from the mod I'm writing. Never fear, though, I'm far too in love with Jasper to go making my mod incompatible. If you plan to go get Jaheira, you'll be able to get the ring.

[Amaurea]

No, I won't give Japer the ring.

 

Even if I were comfortable modding a mod, Jasper's tone is quite different from the mod I'm writing. Never fear, though, I'm far too in love with Jasper to go making my mod incompatible. If you plan to go get Jaheira, you'll be able to get the ring.

 

 

[BigRob]

Good approach on the ring, seems as though it would be simpler, but just as immersive as if you did it direct with a Gavin dialogue (at least it's potentially less complex than talking to him about it).

 

 

Kudos on the banter too, it's a good drift from personal history into the current point of the plot.

[berelinde]

The first draft of the joining dialogue did attempt to "do all," but it just wasn't working. I was trying to make one dialogue do too much, and no matter what I did, I couldn't make it flow. So I scrapped it, and decided to use the ring as a plot device. It became a question of how much time I wanted to spend on one dialogue, and whether it might not be better to just break it down into two, even if it did mean relying on an item dialogue.

 

Have you any idea how difficult it is to make someone ask "By the way, did I know you before, and were we, at any point, engaged?" He kept sounding like he had amnesia.

[Kulyok]

Judging by PC-Imoen joining dialogue, PC has(or may have) amnesia of sorts, so it's a valid option - for the PC, at least.

[berelinde]

Yeah, but the PC seems to shake it off pretty quick, and there are dialogue paths where the PC does recognize Imoen just fine. Safer not to railroad the PC into a premature senior moment. And there is the "Who are you?" option, for those that want to RP a case of amnesia. But this has turned into a 2-for-1 spoiler, so that's all I'm sayin'.

 

Edit: Although I think I just found a hook to enable the PC to not recognize the ring (or not find the ring, if the mod is installed on an in-progress game) and still wind up on the committed romance path.

[Simbul]

Is it only me, but does the phrase "Is it OK?" seem a little bit out of place in supposedly medieval-based fantasy world? Or does Imoen speak like that in the unmodded game? (I must confess I don't remember >.<) Also, I'm obviously not a native speaker, so maybe I'm mistaken too.

[berelinde]

Imoen's vocabulary is surprisingly modern (Heya, it's me, Imoen!), but it wouldn't be any great hardship to change it to "all right."

[Kaeloree]

Maybe "okay"? I think it would be very Imoen-like for her to say that, and there are a lot of modern terms sprinkled throughout BGII - so it wouldn't be a great stretch.

 

Looking forward to seeing more, b!

[Miss Sakaki]

I like it - it's a nice snippet of everyday travelling life that turns a little deeper, and Imoen is nice and lifelike. I'm also liking the ring idea - I find the method of establishing romance/non romance through joining dialogue disrupts the sense of immersion. It'll be interesting to see it once it's implemented.