BG2 Gavin Status Report

[berelinde]

OK, I promised a progress report of a sort, so I'd better deliver.

 

I'm tying up loose ends before gearing up for Gavin full-time, and that means one smallish mod (Alternatives) has to be in testing before I resume. That mod is 95% done. I have to write one smallish dialoge and a pair of cutscenes. The other 4% is getting it to install, which is mainly tracking down the tildes I forgot. WeiDU does all the work; I just grunt and scratch my pits. After that, it's a lightning-quick test run before I turn it over to the official testers for intensive demolition work. I probably should have just held off with the update until Alternatives was in testing, but it just might take a day or two, between vet appointments for pets and house-hunting for my mother, and I promised an update sooner than that.

 

In other words, I'm still not cranking out 6 lovetalks a day like I was for a while back when I was developing BG1 Gavin, but I am clearing the decks so I can devote the time it needs. Almost there.

[berelinde]

After a couple good days of writing, I've got all the NPC/NPC banters done. Viconia has the fewest (3), and Aerie probably has the most (8), with the rest falling between 4 and 6.

 

Here's a nice long Haer'Dalis/Gavin banter as a preview. Not all banters are this long!

 

 

Gavin: Haer'Dalis, I've been wondering. What gods do they worship, out among the planes?

HD: Denizens of the astral dominions have their own gods for company, but surely you know this.

Gavin: Yes, I suppose they would.

HD: The elemental and energy planes each have their lords, though your Shar -

Gavin: She is *not* my Shar!

HD: Forgive me. I should have said the goddess worshipped as Shar among the Primes often makes her home on the negative energy plane.

= As for the transient planes, the astral, ethereal and shadow planes, I am told that the gods of your world can hear the prayers of the faithful, should they venture there.

Gavin: It is said that dead gods drift aimlessly through the astral plane, much as our own souls do on the journey to the fugue plane.

= But there is no fugue plane for dead gods, no avatars to claim them.

HD: What thought inspired this melancholic discourse?

Gavin: I was just thinking about Amaunator. He was once the god of the sun, before Lathander grew mighty, but Amaunator died when Netheril fell.

HD: If your lore is correct, then this Amaunator must drift still in the astral plane.

Gavin: That is what I have always believed... but lately, I have heard rumors that Lathander is the reincarnation of Amaunator. It is naught but heresy, of course, but it is disturbing to think that so many of my own faith subscribe to it.

HD: Who is to say? Is a man a heretic or a visionary? Such knowledge lies in the domain of the future, and that realm is the dominion of chaos.

[Shaitan]

Looking foreward to meet Gavin in BG2

[BigRob]

Nice banter. I can think of certain events in the game this would be quite appropriate to follow as well.

[Ankhesenpaaten]

Very nice! I may just have to take HD along. I seldom do but it would make for a great change of pace for me.

[berelinde]

Phase 2 is well underway. I'm still trying to get the SoA portion out in beta by the end of March.

 

I haven't posted a dialogue in a while, so here's one possible path through one dialogue. Keep in mind that there are multiple routes a PC can take through the talk, and this is just one of dozens of outcomes this talk can have.

 

/* Talk 13 "Can't go back" talking about the past */

Character 2: Illiana, Cleric of Talos, knew Gavin in BG, lukewarm interest in "romance"

/////////////////////

GAVIN ~Do you remember Beregost?~

ILLIANA ~Remember it? I only hope that one day I'll live to forget it!~

GAVIN ~I don't remember it as being that unpleasant.~

ILLIANA ~It was a small town with muddy streets and bad ale.~

GAVIN ~Bad ale? The Red Sheaf had the best ale on the Sword Coast!~

ILLIANA ~About all I remember about the Red Sheaf was the dwarf that tried to kill me.~

GAVIN ~One does tend to remember assassins... though you seem to have had more than your share of those. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about.~

GAVIN ~I've been thinking a lot about the past lately.~

ILLIANA ~I'd like you to think more about the present, especially where it concerns your doing your job in this party.~

GAVIN ~Do you think I am neglecting my duties?~

ILLIANA ~Let's just say that you're easily distracted.~

GAVIN ~I'll work on it.~

[BigRob]

He is easily distracted, isn't he?

[berelinde]

Oh, yeah.

[Kitanna]

Have to say, I see nothing wrong with that talk. I like it, now write faster! Must have more to test!

 

Not like I don't have Calin to finish but.... no. Want Gavin

[berelinde]

Actually, I did write another talk today. I should probably upload a new alpha. But that would mean I can't take the evening off to play IWD2...

[Kitanna]

Pfft! go play it and take a break. You deserve it.

[Ankhesenpaaten]

I (gag) can't believe I'm actually (ack) saying this, but (urk) I agree with Kitanna. Take a break!

[Muse]

Gavin is my favourite NPC. No contest. And while I secretly want to get my greedy little hands on him right NOW, I actually don't mind the wait. Because I know that it'll be worth it.

[berelinde]

There will be a beta version out at the end of March. I'm hoping that it will include all of SoA content, with ToB content to follow a bit later.

 

I'm going to have to severly scale back my modding activities after that, so I'm trying to wrap up all loose ends with Gavin and Haldamir before that happens.

[berelinde]

I know, I just posted one. The thing is, I'm not crazy about that dialogue. I mean the dialogue itself is alright, or it wouldn't be in there, but I'm not thrilled this path. I'm picking paths for previews that I don't think a lot of players are likely to see, and this one is definitely not the liveliest possible route, if you know what I mean. This dialogue might be more entertaining.

 

The last one was cmorgan's character. This one is mine, Morwen, a CN sorcerer. They were friends in BG1, but he wasn't interested in pursuing the matter. She's finding his sudden interest in her amusing, but I don't know if it's going anywhere. The other party members are Anomen, Korgan, Valygar, and Yoshimo.

 

Gavin: ~Alright, <CHARNAME>, the rabbit looks brown enough. Some water and a couple of bay leaves, and it's stew.~

PC: ~Easy on the bay leaves. Last time, it was like sucking on a pine bough.~

Gavin: ~It was, wasn't it?~

= ~<CHARNAME>... why isn't there any water?~

PC: ~Oh, no. It was my turn, wasn't it?~

Gavin: ~No, you got the water yesterday... and it was my turn today.~

= ~So whose turn was it to cook?~

Anomen: ~I built the fire.~

Yoshi: ~I gathered the firewood.~

Valygar: ~I caught the rabbits.~

Korgan: ~Just eat the meat now. A bit o' undercooked rabbit never hurt nobody.~

Gavin: ~No, Korgan, half-cooked rabbit is not a good idea.~

= ~Alright, it doesn't matter whose turn it was. It was my turn to get the water and I forgot. I'll just take the pot off the fire and go get the water now. Care to keep me company, <CHARNAME>?~

PC: ~I'll go with you.~

Gavin: ~(Gavin silently leads you down the path to the water and unslings the waterskins from his shoulder.)~

= ~Thank you. I've been meaning to talk to you away from the others.~

PC: ~You could have said it back at camp. No one was paying attention to us by the fire.~

Gavin: ~There's something I wanted to give you... and I didn't want an audience.~

PC: ~You bought me a present?~

Gavin: ~It isn't something I bought. It's more... well...~

 

Find out in a few weeks.