Various Amber Qs

[Bursk]

Meira, I'm thinking that I'd prefer Amber to use a short bow instead of a long bow. I've never really used Near Infinity, so I'd like to check with you how to alter her bow proficiency, and also if I can do this without causing any issues with the mod.

 

I found the following Amber cre files:

 

m#ambr10.cre

m#ambr12.cre

m#ambr14.cre

m#ambr15.cre

 

I altered them with NI, prior to installing the mod, using the following method:

 

Open a file with NI. In the Effects section you'll see several Modify proficiences (233) entries. Double-click on the second one down and you should see PROFICIENCYLONGBOW - 104 in the Value column (if not, check the other Modify proficiences (233) entries). Click on that and select PROFICIENCYSHORTBOW - 105 from the list at the bottom, then click the Update value button. You'll see that the Value column now contains PROFICIENCYSHORTBOW - 105 instead of PROFICIENCYLONGBOW - 104. Click on the red X to close the window, then do the same again on the following screen and select Save changes, then Overwrite.

 

Does that look about right to you? After doing this I installed the mod, used CLUAConsole to create Amber and she did indeed have short bow instead of long bow. If this is the right method, are there any other cre files I have to alter, or is that it? I'm guessing that using NI to change a character's proficiencies is quite straightforward, but since I've never done it before I thought it'd be best to check with you first, rather than just assume I've done it correctly.

 

Moving on, and keeping in mind that I don't have a great deal of knowledge about the game, why are Amber's Move Silently and Hide In Shadows values so high, especially on the high-level cres?

 

As for Amber's custom script, what does it do exactly? I'm planning to use SCS II Ease-of-use party AI for my other characters, and was wondering if Amber's custom script is more suited to her.

 

Finally, and this is directed at everyone who uses Amber, how do most of you use Amber in battle e.g. do you put her on the front line (and if so with what weapon), does she stay in the back and fire arrows etc?

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

Oh, and thanks, Meira, for sorting out that subtitles issue.

[Meira]

Meira, I'm thinking that I'd prefer Amber to use a short bow instead of a long bow. I've never really used Near Infinity, so I'd like to check with you how to alter her bow proficiency, and also if I can do this without causing any issues with the mod.

 

Heh... I've never edited proficiences with Nearinfinity. When I created Amber I levelled her in the game - mainly to get the thief skills and saving throws correct. My head exploded when I tried to calculate them. Lately, I've mainly edited non-party NPCs in DLTCEP. Nearinfinity isn't always 100% secure, sometimes the files break. But if your game didn't crash when you summoned Amber the changes were correctly made. The game crashes quite certainly if the proficiences aren't correctly assigned. I tried to give Lorraine, a cleric-ranger, a scimitar proficiency and the game crashed.

 

The long bow isn't written in Amber's the story (like the daggers are for example). I gave her longbow for two reasons: I felt it was a more elegant weapon than a short bow and every damn thief uses a short bow. All those shiny longbows remain unused when only the melee guys (Minsc, Valygar etc...) can use them.

 

Moving on, and keeping in mind that I don't have a great deal of knowledge about the game, why are Amber's Move Silently and Hide In Shadows values so high, especially on the high-level cres?

 

Do you mean why she has so many points in them and not in other thievin skills? I felt it was more in to her character that she would be good in sneaking around, pickpoceting (from a person) would ba a hard skill for her to master as she tends makes people uneasy. If she needed to steal something (like food for example) shed more likely to hide on the back alley and sneak in from the bakery's back door than take the loaf from the bakers chart on the market.

 

As for Amber's custom script, what does it do exactly? I'm planning to use SCS II Ease-of-use party AI for my other characters, and was wondering if Amber's custom script is more suited to her.

 

The Combat AI was tailored for Amber (by Yovaneth, based on Sharkyn's combat scripts) and it recognises her special skills and probably her unique weapon selection (no big weapons even though she's fighter) too.

 

Note that if you end up changing her AI, you have to change it again if she leaves the party and re-joins.

[Bursk]

Thanks for the reply! Are those 4 cres I listed the only ones I need to alter? I can completely understand why you gave her long bow, but I'm using L1NPCs to ensure that some characters will be using long bows, and Amber's only a dwt, so I feel that short bow is a better fit for her.

 

Regarding Move Silently and Hide In Shadows, doesn't Amber have 137 in both for her level 15 version? I was just wondering why it needs to be so high. The level 10 version has 107.

 

It sounds like Amber's custom script will be the best choice for her (which makes sense). How do you use her in battle, Meira?

[Meira]

Thanks for the reply! Are those 4 cres I listed the only ones I need to alter?

Yes.

 

Regarding Move Silently and Hide In Shadows, doesn't Amber have 137 in both for her level 15 version? I was just wondering why it needs to be so high. The level 10 version has 107.

 

Because I wanted her to be good at hiding in shadows. It's been a long time since I created the cre file and I don't remember my exact reasoning for that choice. Sorry.

 

 

It sounds like Amber's custom script will be the best choice for her (which makes sense). How do you use her in battle, Meira?

 

As a bit of hit and run. I try to backstab if I have her using a sword and not a spear. If she gets too much damage I move her to backline. I depends a quite bit on the party too. If there are lot of strong fighters along, it's different from a spell caster oriented party where Amber is actually a more formidable opponent. I don't use traps at all, which I think, is significantly different from most thief lovers.

[erik]

She was pretty effective up to and in Spellhold with Adjatha the Drinker (healing 1 point per hit is useful). Roaming backstabber and living wall understudy under Korgan, actually. They were the only two competent meleers in that party, Viconia being too fragile.

[Darios]

Thanks for the reply! Are those 4 cres I listed the only ones I need to alter?

 

Actually, the easiest way is to just have her join your party and then edit her information in the save game with Shadowkeeper.

 

If you want to change her stats by editing the .cre files, you'll have to do it before she joins you. The information regarding the characters in your party are contained in the save game files (can't remember which one of them exactly...) - after all, the cre files do not change as the game progresses and only contain the initial info for NPCs (the stats they have when they join you - which is also the reason for the four files; Amber's level upon joining your party is dependent on the level of your party and those four files represent different level versions of Amber).

[Bursk]

Cheers, Darios.

 

I do have more experience with SK than NI, and it's good to have that option, but what I'd ideally like to do is get things sorted before I install the mod (the same with every mod I use). That way I can just install my mods, play the game and not have to worry about changing anything.