IWD-BG2 Task List

[CamDawg]

Areas are more or less done. We may need to add some waypoints to them to help with script conversion of SaveLocations, but otherwise these should be good to go.

 

Graphics and sounds (save monster animations, see below) are simply dumped en masse into the BG2 override folder. Character sound sets need to be converted to BG2 format so that they're available to the player.

 

Monster animations suck. I've brought over and filled as many of the BG2 animation slots as possible, but there simply aren't enough slots. The new creatures--stuff like beetles, harpies, etc.--have their animations imported, but generally IWD creatures with BG2 counterparts simply use the BG2 animations since there aren't enough slots, i.e. Malavon's gorgeous iron golems are replaced with the atrocious BG2 ones and Icasaracht uses Adalon's animation. Same deal with elementals, giants, etc. I'm not happy about it, but until there's an automated way to convert the IWD style animations into BG2 we're stuck with it. These need testing to boot--for monsters that get mapped to BG2 animations, some are using illegal colors (which cause crashes) and others need to be recolored for distinction. For example, IWD has two zombie animations, both of which get mapped to one BG2 zombie animation. We need to also assign some default colors as well as an animation value to make these zombies appear unique (same with wights and many other undead). Many of the new animations also have foot circles that are too small for them.

 

Creatures are more or less converted. Race values are mapped to BG2 values, and animations are mapped to the new table (see the separate monster animation section, below). Secondary and tertiary DVs are going to be handled by baldur.bcs--if the creature already has a unique primary DV, then we'll simply increment the relevant secondary and tertiary variables from the primary DV. If there isn't a unique primary DV, we'll assign one and do it anyway. Secondary and tertiary DVs should be collected in a tpa file during conversion. Spell books and memorized spells may need to be converted, depending on whether we can get spells fully converted. We may need to convert profs as well.

 

Items are converted as well. There are really two remaining issues--opcodes and descriptions. Since BG2 uses a finer proficiency system, the weapons need to be reassigned (already done) and they need to have their descriptions altered as well (not done). Opcodes are a larger issue, and covered in more detail under spells.

 

Dialogues and scripts are converted. There's a big mapping of script actions and triggers; for the most part these are the same as BG2 and conversion is pretty straightforward. There are still a number of actions/triggers in IWD (and especially in the TotL part) where there's simply no analogue for the IWD stuff, and we'll need to handle them individually. In particular, many creatures use SaveLocation, which will probably have to be handled by waypoints in the area files.

 

Spells are a huge problem. Right now I'm aiming for converting the innates and simply using the BG2 mage and priest spells, as it's a simpler and more manageable task. Many of the opcodes in IWD (and again, particularly in the expansions) have no analogues in BG2, and need to be converted manually. Also, many of the graphics and projectiles will also need to be manually converted. I'm setting this a long-term goal, as I know that many people love the hughe range of useful spells in IWD, particularly for druids, and it really won't be the same IWD without them. In the meantime, we need to map spells in scripts and creature files to BG2.

 

Ini files need to be turned into area scripts. This will be manual.

 

I've tried simply copying over the music folder and replacing the BG2 one, but this has caused crashes. I need someone with actual knowledge of acm and mus files to help out here.

 

LadeJarl has a beta version of an Icewind Dale GUI ready to go.

 

IDS, 2da, and other rule files are being imported on a case-by-case basis. So far I've been adding IDS entries but otherwise the BG2 rule sets are generally used. We may need to alter this as we move forward, particularly as we do more spell importation and sort out the remainder of opcodes.

 

Movies are done, as are their associated 2da files.

 

Stores are done.

 

Worldmaps are a bit of a problem. In IWD, when you travel to Lonelywood the map changes completely. Since we can not swap maps in BG2, we're going to need to combine the two maps somehow and simply not link the two halves for travel. Because you get sent back to IWD after the HoW portion, we can't set it up as an SoA/ToB break. If we can pull it off without too much suckage, it'd be nice to convert the ToB half of BG2 to a direct HoW game, but we'll see.

 

A lot of the conversion code is blatantly stolen from BGT-WeiDU, so I'll need to ask permission at some future point.

 

I'm hoping I can lure in an actual programmer who'll turn the ugly, brute-force method currently employed into something elegant, nice, and user-friendly.

[DavidW]

Areas are more or less done. We may need to add some waypoints to them to help with script conversion of SaveLocations, but otherwise these should be good to go.

 

Graphics and sounds (save monster animations, see below) are simply dumped en masse into the BG2 override folder. Character sound sets need to be converted to BG2 format so that they're available to the player.

 

Monster animations suck. I've brought over and filled as many of the BG2 animation slots as possible, but there simply aren't enough slots. The new creatures--stuff like beetles, harpies, etc.--have their animations imported, but generally IWD creatures with BG2 counterparts simply use the BG2 animations since there aren't enough slots, i.e. Malavon's gorgeous iron golems are replaced with the atrocious BG2 ones and Icasaracht uses Adalon's animation. Same deal with elementals, giants, etc. I'm not happy about it, but until there's an automated way to convert the IWD style animations into BG2 we're stuck with it.

I'm getting lost here... are there more slots in IWD than BG2, or is it just that there are more slots in (IWD+BG2) than BG2? If the latter, why not just overwrite BG2 animations that IWD doesn't use (like the aforementioned Iron Golems)?

 

 

Worldmaps are a bit of a problem. In IWD, when you travel to Lonelywood the map changes completely. Since we can not swap maps in BG2, we're going to need to combine the two maps somehow and simply not link the two halves for travel. Because you get sent back to IWD after the HoW portion, we can't set it up as an SoA/ToB break.

 

You could do this: package a savegame converter that turns an HOW save back into an IWD save and dumps the party in Kuldahar. It looks as if that'd be fairly easy to write. I know it's ugly to have to come out and run something mid game, but it's only needed once, and it's arguably less ugly than having to mess around with both maps. You could work out how much of the IWD map to reveal just by where the party's got to - as I recall, it's pretty linear.

[Grim Squeaker]

I'm getting lost here... are there more slots in IWD than BG2, or is it just that there are more slots in (IWD+BG2) than BG2? If the latter, why not just overwrite BG2 animations that IWD doesn't use (like the aforementioned Iron Golems)?

 

That would be my response as well. Replace the atrocious BG2 golem animations with the IWD ones.

[CamDawg]

It took me a while to wrap my head around animations, and my first thought was just to nuke the BG2 animations as well. It's just not possible (or at least, to automate it).

 

BG2 and IWD use different monster animation setups. For example, the iron golem--in BG2, it uses the prefix migo and its various attack, death, idle, etc. animations use the BG2 scheme (migogxx.bam). In IWD, the iron golem is mgir and its various animations use the IWD naming scheme (mgira1.bam, mgirgu.bam, etc.). The files can not simply be renamed, as they mapping is not 1-to-1, and the bams themselves are set up differently (different number of frames and sequences). If we could automate this, then the problem is solved. If someone manually converts them, then it's also solved.

 

BG2 has a small number of animation slots set up to use the IWD naming scheme. Some of these are already filled and use the same animations as IWD--trolls, cornugons, ettins, ice golems, etc. There are only a few free IWD slots left over which I used to try and fill the remainder of needed animations.

[CamDawg]

Oh, I forgot to mention the biggest point of suck: we need to find a way so that the game doesn't end when Player1 dies.

 

Sorry I didn't post the download--things are crazy at my new job right now so I really didn't have time to look at this last night.

[DavidW]

It took me a while to wrap my head around animations, and my first thought was just to nuke the BG2 animations as well. It's just not possible (or at least, to automate it).

 

Is there some actual barrier to an automation working, or is it just fiddly?

 

I've spent a day or so playing around with this and I've got a sort-of-working automation up and running, but it's still pretty bug-ridden, so I can't yet tell if it will actually work in-game... so if there's likely to be some major problem I'm missing, now's the time to tell me.

[SimDing0]

Having examined the conversion itself and witnessed Mr. W's disposition to automate at least one task every day, I somehow get the feeling I'm going to be fairly useless at this stage, since somewhere along the line everybody got way better at modding than me. I dunno if you wanna call me back to help with the manual fixing when all this automated crud is out the way or something, or I can...I dunno, write weapon descriptions? Man, this is pretty embarassing.

[DavidW]

It's just because I'm lazy.

 

The most common bit of critical feedback on SCSII is "why don't you choose more optimised spells for A/B/C?" and the answer is basically that I'd have to do some work rather than asking a WEIDU macro to do it for me...

[devSin]

write weapon descriptions?

IWD item descriptions are pretty universally "This is a dagger. It has big magic." so I don't think there'd even be anything for you to do there.

[SimDing0]

Oh, yeh. I meant like write in the new proficiencies. Except IWD has like 3000 items and I've just volunteered myself for the most boring job on the planet.

 

I bet you could automate it. (To be fair, I think even I could automate it. And usability.)

[CamDawg]

We could probably adapt the code from tweaks--the prof rebalancing also rewrites the descriptions on the fly. We could probably just do it as a series of R_T on iwd.tra.

[devSin]

Maybe you'll be the first to find a use for WeiDU's DESCRIBE_ITEM?

[CamDawg]

Oh yeah, forgot usability. Enjoy!

[grogerson]

Areas ... done. ... may need to add some waypoints ...

 

Graphics and sounds ...

 

Monster animations suck ...

 

Creatures ... more or less converted ...

 

Items are converted ... two remaining issues--opcodes and descriptions ...

 

Dialogues and scripts are converted ... still a number of actions/triggers ...

 

Spells are a huge problem ...

 

Ini files need to be turned into area scripts. This will be manual.

 

I've tried simply copying over the music folder and replacing the BG2 one, but this has caused crashes. I need someone with actual knowledge of acm and mus files to help out here.

 

LadeJarl has a beta version of an Icewind Dale GUI ready to go.

 

IDS, 2da, and other rule files are being imported on a case-by-case basis ...

 

Movies are done, as are their associated 2da files.

 

Stores are done.

 

Worldmaps are a bit of a problem ...

Simplified check list. You might want to consider a stickied check list so everyone can have a quick and ready reference as to progress.

 

With David W's utility (I hope I read the other thread right), maybe monster conversions are closer to being done than anybody expected. It's amazing how far modding has come in the last few years. Some if it has been because they wanted IWD and PS:T animations in BG2.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention the biggest point of suck: we need to find a way so that the game doesn't end when Player1 dies.

I may be in the minority here, but I like it. Of course I cut my teeth on PC gaming with the Ultima series. If you do it, consider making it an option.

 

Oh, yeh. I meant like write in the new proficiencies. Except IWD has like 3000 items and I've just volunteered myself for the most boring job on the planet.

Exaggerating a bit, aren't you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we're really dealing only with weapons here, and ammunition doesn't count. I see around 300 items the player may get his hands on. I created a couple of documents when Cam upgraded DaleTweaks from the small to large version. One lists them by category (with item code and name only), and a very extensive list of every item in the game with its written description.

 

I did them in WordPerfect, so I can send either or both of them to you in most any format you want, including PDF if it will help.

[cmorgan]

Holy cow - it sounds like I should skip ahead and start creating custom sontent for this based on the BG2 engine...

 

somebody send me on some stupid grunty task, so that I can feel like part of the solution, will ya?