Death gaze causes freeze/crash

[Guest Hannibal Rex]

I've run into the problem that tanr'ri (the Master of Thralls' to be precise) Death Gaze attacks cause the game to freeze up. The only thing I can do is alt-tab out and close the crashed game from there. i've found mention of the same bug in the archived fixes section, where the original poster claimed this bug went away after updating the fixpack to the latest version. However, I'm already using 6.1.

 

This is a fully patched ToB full install, and I've only installed a handful of other mods; the tweakpack, rogue rebalancing, the improved horn of valhalla and gminion. I can post my weidu log if that'll be helpful.

[Taimon]

Post it!

[Guest Hannibal Rex]

// Log of Currently Installed WeiDU Mods

// The top of the file is the 'oldest' mod

// ~TP2_File~ #language_number #component_number // [subcomponent Name -> ] Component Name [ : Version]

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #0 // BG2 Fixpack - Core Fixes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #1 // BG2 Fixpack - Game Text Update: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #2 // Super Happy Fun Lucky Modder Pack: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #100 // Party Gets XP for Sending Keldorn to Reconcile With Maria: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #101 // Improved Spell Animations: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #102 // Cromwell's Forging Actually Takes a Day: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #103 // Mixed-Use Dagger Fixes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #104 // Ghreyfain's Holy Symbol Fixes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #106 // Giants Receive Penalties When Attacking Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #108 // Remove Second Attribute Bonus for Evil Path in Wrath Hell Trial: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #109 // Corrected Summoned Demon Behavior: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #110 // Additional Script Fixes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #111 // Bard Song Fixes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #112 // Wizard Slayers Cause Miscast Magic on Ranged Attacks: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #113 // Additional Alignment Fixes: 6.1

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #114 // Change Free Action to Protect Against Stun: 6.1

~SETUP-GMINION.TP2~ #0 #0 // gMinion v1.8

~SETUP-VALHORN.TP2~ #0 #0 // Improved Horns of Valhalla v1.2

~RR/SETUP-RR.TP2~ #0 #0 // Proper dual-wielding implementation for Thieves and Bards: v3.92

~RR/SETUP-RR.TP2~ #0 #1 // Thief kit revisions: v3.92

~RR/SETUP-RR.TP2~ #0 #2 // Bard kit revisions: v3.92

~RR/SETUP-RR.TP2~ #0 #3 // Bard High Level Ability revisions: v3.92

~RR/SETUP-RR.TP2~ #0 #7 // Revised Thievery -> Retain default thievery potions and prevent their effects from stacking: v3.92

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #10 // Remove Helmet Animations

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #60 // Weapon Animation Tweaks

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #90 // Disable Portrait Icons Added by Equipped Items

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #100 // Commoners Use Drab Colors

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #110 // Icon Improvements

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #120 // Change Avatar When Wearing Robes or Armor (Galactygon)

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #130 // Force All Dialogue to Pause Game

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1010 // More Interjections

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1020 // Alter HP Triggers for NPC Wounded Dialogues

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1040 // Improved Athkatlan City Guard

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1070 // Improved Multi-Player Kick-out Dialogues

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1080 // Add Bags of Holding

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1120 // Stores Sell Higher Stacks of Items

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1170 // Bonus Merchants (Baldurdash)

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1180 // Female Edwina

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1220 // Allow Cromwell to Upgrade Watcher's Keep Items

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2151 // Wear Multiple Protection Items -> No Restrictions

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #2210 // True Grandmastery (Baldurdash)

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3000 // Higher HP on Level Up -> Maximum

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3012 // Maximum HP for NPCs (the bigg) -> For Party-Joinable NPCs Only

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3030 // Easy Spell Learning -> 100% Learn Spells

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3070 // Change Effect of Reputation on Store Prices -> Low Reputation Store Discount (Sabre)

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3121 // Happy Patch (Party NPCs do not fight or complain about reputation) -> NPCs can be angry about reputation but never leave (Salk)

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3125 // Neutral Characters Make Happy Comments at Mid-Range Reputation

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3150 // Turn Off The Hideous Cloak-of-Mirroring, Spell-Trap, and Physical Mirror Animations

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #3200 // Sellable Items (Icelus)

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4010 // Improved Fate Spirit Summoning

~BG2_TWEAKS/SETUP-BG2_TWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #4020 // ToB-Style NPCs

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #3 // BETA Core Fixes (please check the readme!): 6.1

 

Here you go.

[Guest Hannibal Rex]

I got by that fight using summons eventually, but I'm worried I'll run into this problem every time I face demons.

[Leomar]

I can't really help you with your problem, but you have made a mistake. All "BG2 Fixpacks" components should be installed first. But you have installed

 

~BG2FIXPACK/SETUP-BG2FIXPACK.TP2~ #0 #3 // BETA Core Fixes (please check the readme!): 6.1

 

last. So this could be the problem.

 

Greetings Leomar

[Guest Hannibal Rex]

It's installed last, because I tried uninstalling it to see if that would fix the problem. As that had no effect, I reinstalled it.

 

Though, uninstalling it and using a savegame where I'm already in the planar prison might have had no effect either way, because I'm guessing once the area is loaded, adding or removing components would have no effect, since the bugged data is already stored in the savegame.

[Leomar]

Though, uninstalling it and using a savegame where I'm already in the planar prison might have had no effect either way, because I'm guessing once the area is loaded, adding or removing components would have no effect, since the bugged data is already stored in the savegame.

That could be. I hope you don't run in more little problems, because you have re-intalled the BETA fixes after the other mods, now. Perhaps someone else could help you with your freeze/crash problem.

 

Greetings Leomar

[Guest Hannibal rex]

I've now made my way to the planar sphere quest, and sure enough, the bug's still there.

 

However, there's been progress, of a sort. When I uninstalled the entire fixpack, and loaded a savegame from before leaving the planar sphere, the bug no longer occurred when the tanar'ri death-gazed me. Another bug which made the game crash whenever I tried to use my character's innate vampiric touch also disappeared.

 

I'm now going to try installing each selectabe component individually (after uninstalling all other mods), to maybe find out which specific one causes the problem.

 

However, some advice from someone mod-savvy would be much appreciated. Are the fixpack modders really nort around anymore? I greatly appreciate all the effort that has gone into this mod, and I'd hate not being able to use it. But now I can certainly understand why some people on the bioware forum don't recommend it.

[Hannibal_Rex]

Alright. So I did what I said, uninstalled every single mod, and then installed just the Core Fixes.

 

The unmodded game runs fine, but with the Core Fixes, the game freezes whenever a demon death gaze or my innate vampiric touch is about to hit its target.

 

As Winston Churchill would say, 'This sucks!'

 

Going from 6.1 to 6.0 or vice versa made no difference. So, I guess there's three questions left I hope someone here can answer:

 

1) What do the death gaze and innate (haven't tried the spell though) vampiric touch have in common in the core fixes, that could cause this?

2) How do I go about fixing or removing these specific components?

3) Why is this bug apparently only happening in my game, and not everyone else's who uses the fixpack?

 

I guess I only have three options here; forget about the fixpack entirely, go back to the ancient baldurdash fixpack, or try completely reinstalling the game. Even if I don't get an answer, I wanted to post this for reference, in case work on the fixpack ever gets picked up again.

 

EDIT: This old thread references the same problem.

[Azazello]

Alright. So I did what I said, uninstalled every single mod, and then installed just the Core Fixes.

 

The unmodded game runs fine, but with the Core Fixes, the game freezes whenever a demon death gaze or my innate vampiric touch is about to hit its target.

 

As Winston Churchill would say, 'This sucks!'

 

Going from 6.1 to 6.0 or vice versa made no difference. So, I guess there's three questions left I hope someone here can answer:

 

1) What do the death gaze and innate (haven't tried the spell though) vampiric touch have in common in the core fixes, that could cause this?

2) How do I go about fixing or removing these specific components?

3) Why is this bug apparently only happening in my game, and not everyone else's who uses the fixpack?

 

I guess I only have three options here; forget about the fixpack entirely, go back to the ancient baldurdash fixpack, or try completely reinstalling the game. Even if I don't get an answer, I wanted to post this for reference, in case work on the fixpack ever gets picked up again.

 

EDIT: This old thread references the same problem.

As you infer, if this was a common problem, a lot more people would have reported it around the gaming community. So we have to find out what's happening in your game to cause these problems.

 

In your above test, did you use a saved game to check the spells for crashing? If so, no good-- you want to start a New game and then try Vampiric Touch and/or CLUA in a demon and see what happens with the death gaze.

 

To get great test results, you have to ensure that your test environment is "clean". Un-/re-installing mods "dirties" the override folder and sometimes other folders like Music. So...did you Refresh Your Installation before re-installing the Core Fixes? {If anyone has a better link for quick re-installing, please provide.}

 

My guess is something about your base installation is causing this, as your installed mods are known to be problem-less(-free).

 

So:

 

(1) Make a clean installation. Start a New game. Try Vampiric Touch and/or CLUA in a demon and see what happens with the death gaze. Results?

 

(2) Keeping the current installation, install a single g3Fixpack component. Start a New game. Try Vampiric Touch and/or CLUA in a demon and see what happens with the death gaze. Results?

 

(3) Lather (i.e. install the next single g3Fixpack component, etc.). Rinse. Repeat. Results?

 

 

Side Note: not all g3Fixpack components are needed for a working game; in fact, Super Happy Fun Lucky Modder Pack ("This component is designed to add changes to make life easier for modders.") and BETA Core Fixes should only be installed if

(1) a mod or installation method says they are required

(2) you completely understand what benefit they're going to add to your game--AND you're willing to do testing to determine if these components are causing problems in your installation.

[Hannibal_Rex]

To get great test results, you have to ensure that your test environment is "clean". Un-/re-installing mods "dirties" the override folder and sometimes other folders like Music. So...did you Refresh Your Installation before re-installing the Core Fixes?

This, and the information in that link should be bolded and the first thing in any mod readme. I naively believed that the wonders of WeiDU would ensure my game returns to a pristine state whenever I uninstall all mods.

Being at the end of my knowledge, I just made a complete reinstall before reading your answer. The result: Absolutely no problem. I was even able to continue my savegame. As I haven't read your reply earlier, I don't have a restorable backup, but thanks to you I'll never make that mistake again.

EDIT: Hey! They even have the necessary files for download in that thread!

 

My guess is something about your base installation is causing this, as your installed mods are known to be problem-less(-free).

It's pretty clear now it must have been some sort of override folder mess-up from repeated installing and uninstalling. Thanks for the help, without you I'd still be wondering what the hell the cause was.